Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood 'close to state dismantling'
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood 'close to state dismantling'
Jordanian officials are thought to be exploiting a rift within the Brotherhood to severely limit its operations.
4 min read
The Muslim Brotherhood was first licensed in Jordan in 1945 [AFP]
The Jordanian government took a dramatic step forward on Wednesday in restricting the capacity of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group's leaders fear.
Amman officials are set to proceed with a re-licensing request put forward by a splinter faction of the Brotherhood, despite the request not bearing the official endorsement of the Brotherhood's executive leadership.
The group which applied for the change in state license, led by former Brotherhood leader General Abdul-Majid al-Thunaibat, was expelled from the Brotherhood after leaders took the bid to be a challenge to their leadership and an attempt to set up a rival organisation.
Al-Araby al-Jadeed has learned the Jordanian government has officially referred the re-licensing application to the appropriate authorities "to do the necessary" processing, according to the country's laws.
The faction led by Thunaibat said a new licence was needed because of irregularities in the existing licence, which was issued in 1945. It gave the group permission to operate as a branch of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, rather than as a stand-alone Jordanian organisation.
Thunaibat said this makes it easier for the Jordanian government to disband or outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, after the Egyptian parent organisation was outlawed in Egypt.
However, the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood's current leadership insists the organisation's lawfulness is derived from its historical legitimacy and previous official recognition. King Abdullah I attended the inauguration of its headquarters when it received its first licence to operate.
Bureaucracy
Meanwhile, Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani said the government was not siding with any party in Brotherhood's internal crisis. Officials will proceed with the re-licensing request according to the laws in place without giving it any preference over other applications related to licensing parties or associations.
The Muslim Brotherhood's leadership, however, is convinced the re-licensing move is aimed at ousting the current leadership on the government's behalf.
The "re-licensing faction" was reportedly pleased with the announcement, although it expected the government to approve it outright rather than refer it to other authorities, according to sources close to Thunaibat.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters has gone into crisis-response mode, amid leaks indicating the group's leadership is dealing with the matter as if it was a decision to disband it.
Details
Official sources have revealed the licensing application under consideration includes appointing signatories as temporary leaders of the re-licensed group if it is approved.
This will happen, provided the interim leadership can manage the group until new leadership bodies are elected. This means stripping the current leadership of all the posts it holds.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan holds two permits. The first was issued in 1945, recognising the group as a branch of the parent Egyptian organisation. The second was obtained in 1954, and recognises it as a "comprehensive Islamic association". It is not clear whether the second licence supersedes the previous one or complements it.
"The Brotherhood will be here forever," said the group's current leader, Hamman Said, on Tuesday. "It does not need a license because it is a social, political, and professional asset."
Said reminded the Jordanian government of the group's role in supporting the regime and aiding national unity.
Said also called on the re-licensing faction to return to the fold, it what has been seen by many here as an attempt to turn the page on the internal disputes now threatening the group's survival.
International context
Dismantling the group with official support or restructuring it according to a government-sanctioned model spares the Jordanian government the political cost of dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood as governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have.
The Brotherhood is officially banned in much of the Gulf region, while Egypt has declared it a "terrorist organisation" after its military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, a former Brotherhood leader.
The current crisis is one of the most serious the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has faced.
The group has previously experienced a number of splits, with splinter factions ultimately failing to establish alternate platforms for political Islam in Jordan.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
Amman officials are set to proceed with a re-licensing request put forward by a splinter faction of the Brotherhood, despite the request not bearing the official endorsement of the Brotherhood's executive leadership.
The group which applied for the change in state license, led by former Brotherhood leader General Abdul-Majid al-Thunaibat, was expelled from the Brotherhood after leaders took the bid to be a challenge to their leadership and an attempt to set up a rival organisation.
Al-Araby al-Jadeed has learned the Jordanian government has officially referred the re-licensing application to the appropriate authorities "to do the necessary" processing, according to the country's laws.
The faction led by Thunaibat said a new licence was needed because of irregularities in the existing licence, which was issued in 1945. It gave the group permission to operate as a branch of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, rather than as a stand-alone Jordanian organisation.
Thunaibat said this makes it easier for the Jordanian government to disband or outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, after the Egyptian parent organisation was outlawed in Egypt.
However, the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood's current leadership insists the organisation's lawfulness is derived from its historical legitimacy and previous official recognition. King Abdullah I attended the inauguration of its headquarters when it received its first licence to operate.
Bureaucracy
Meanwhile, Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani said the government was not siding with any party in Brotherhood's internal crisis. Officials will proceed with the re-licensing request according to the laws in place without giving it any preference over other applications related to licensing parties or associations.
The Muslim Brotherhood's leadership, however, is convinced the re-licensing move is aimed at ousting the current leadership on the government's behalf.
 |
The Brotherhood is convinced the re-licensing move is aimed at ousting the current leadership on the government's behalf. |
The "re-licensing faction" was reportedly pleased with the announcement, although it expected the government to approve it outright rather than refer it to other authorities, according to sources close to Thunaibat.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters has gone into crisis-response mode, amid leaks indicating the group's leadership is dealing with the matter as if it was a decision to disband it.
Details
Official sources have revealed the licensing application under consideration includes appointing signatories as temporary leaders of the re-licensed group if it is approved.
This will happen, provided the interim leadership can manage the group until new leadership bodies are elected. This means stripping the current leadership of all the posts it holds.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan holds two permits. The first was issued in 1945, recognising the group as a branch of the parent Egyptian organisation. The second was obtained in 1954, and recognises it as a "comprehensive Islamic association". It is not clear whether the second licence supersedes the previous one or complements it.
"The Brotherhood will be here forever," said the group's current leader, Hamman Said, on Tuesday. "It does not need a license because it is a social, political, and professional asset."
Said reminded the Jordanian government of the group's role in supporting the regime and aiding national unity.
Said also called on the re-licensing faction to return to the fold, it what has been seen by many here as an attempt to turn the page on the internal disputes now threatening the group's survival.
International context
Dismantling the group with official support or restructuring it according to a government-sanctioned model spares the Jordanian government the political cost of dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood as governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have.
The Brotherhood is officially banned in much of the Gulf region, while Egypt has declared it a "terrorist organisation" after its military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, a former Brotherhood leader.
The current crisis is one of the most serious the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has faced.
The group has previously experienced a number of splits, with splinter factions ultimately failing to establish alternate platforms for political Islam in Jordan.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
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