According to a summary of a finished intelligence report for policymakers that was shared by a US official with POLITICO, several CIA experts publicly warned that designating the Muslim Brotherhood may actually “fuel extremism” and further damage relations with America’s allies. The CIA document—published internally on January 31, 2017—also noted that the Brotherhood had already publicly “rejected violence as a matter of official policy.” They also noted that the Brotherhood had openly “opposed Al-Qaeda and ISIS” in public condemnations as well over the years.

DEFINE: Clarifies the Brotherhood's official policy of rejecting violence and opposing Al-Qaeda and ISIS, which contrasts with common assumptions.

XREF: Relates to US foreign policy designations of groups as terrorist organizations, a recurring theme in national security debates.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 659