Farid Hafez

Political Scientist, Assistant Teaching Professor of International Relations at William and Mary, Senior Fellow at Bridge Initiative/Georgetown University

The Global Muslim Brotherhood Conspiracy Theory

Earlier this year, Ted Cruz introduced a bill for the second time to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Much of the momentum behind Cruz’s bill is propelled by established anti-#Muslim organizations like the Center for Security Policy, as well as academics.

When anti-#Muslim voices lead efforts to implement a counterterrorism policy, one possible implication is that such a policy will not target terrorists, but will target #Muslims. A particularly problematic aspect of Cruz’s bill is that key figures leading the movement behind the legislation have argued for a flexible definition of who belongs to the Brotherhood, a policy that could target every “relevant Muslim activist in the broadest sense” and “potentially every Muslim organization.”

To learn more, read my latest analysis