Jordan dissolves local Muslim Brotherhood branch
The move, which will be a huge setback to the movement, was made by the country’s top court
By Moumita Layek
Arab media has reported the dissolution of Jordan’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement. The move, which will be a huge setback to the movement, was made by the top court as mentioned by an official on Thursday, who cited the group’s failure to “rectify its legal status”.
The official requested for anonymity stating that “The Court of Cassation yesterday (Wednesday) issued a final verdict ruling that the Muslim Brotherhood group is dissolved… for failing to rectify its legal status under Jordanian law”.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a pan-Islamic movement with both charitable and political arms which was founded in Egypt in 1928. It has faced years of pressure, particularly in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, leading to it being outlawed as a “terrorist” group in Egypt and banned in several other countries.
The capital of Jordan had tolerated the group’s political arm for decades. But since 2014 authorities have considered it illegal as the authorities are arguing its licence was not renewed under a 2014 law on political parties.
It continued to operate. But its relations with the Jordanian state deteriorated further from 2015 when the government authorised an offshoot group namely the Muslim Brotherhood Association. In April 2016, security services closed the Brotherhood’s Amman headquarters and several regional offices which resulted in transfer of their ownership to the splinter group in a step the movement denounced as political.
The original Brotherhood, a media report said, had took the case to court in a bid to retrieve the properties which finally led the court ordering it dissolved in its verdict on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood argues that it had already obtained licences to operate under previous laws in the 1940s and 1950s.
The report also cited a statement by Sheikh Hamza Mansur, head of the organisation’s ruling council, asking the group to appeal against Wednesday’s ruling.
The report also cited a statement by AFP stating “The Muslim Brotherhood … is a model of moderation and an important element in strengthening national unity, so dissolving it is not in the national interest” .
The Jordanian breakaway group aimed to sever ties with the Brotherhood in Egypt. Its the same place where hundreds of supporters have been killed and thousands detained since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
A political party aligned with the original Brotherhood chapter there called Jordan’s Islamic Action Front has had 16 members of parliament since 2016 elections
The polls were boycotted in 2010 and 2013. Meanwhile, polls are set for later this year but the pandemic has created uncertainty whether they will take place.
The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood has wide grassroots support in the kingdom. The movement is also banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region. On the other hand, it is supported by Turkey and Qatar.
