Jonathan Feldstein
In a riveting conversation on the “Inspiration from Zion” from a panel of experts dissected the Moslem Brotherhood (MB)—an extremist Islamist organization whose tentacles stretch from the Middle East to the West and around the world. Featuring expert panelists Yisrael Ne’eman, a lecturer and author on Middle East nationalism and terrorism, and Mudar Zahran, a Jordanian-Palestinian politician leading the Jordanian Opposition Coalition, the discussion illuminated the MB’s origins, enduring and corrupting influence, contemporary threats, and strategies for its eradication. The catalyst for the conversation was the recent U.S. executive order (November 20205) designating MB “chapters” illegal, but asking the question why not ban all its elements. The week of the webinar the US made it official, branding MB branches in Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon as terrorist entities. This is a critical development but only a first step.
The Moslem Brotherhood was founded in 1928 in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna, amid the crumbling Ottoman Caliphate and rising Western colonialism. As Neeman explained, its core ideology is encapsulated in its motto: “Allah is our objective, the Quran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, Jihad is our way, and dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.” This theological framework, Ne’eman emphasized, positions the MB not merely as a political entity but as a “theology” whose mission is not merely internal to Islam, but focused on world conquest, distinguishing it from secular Arab nationalism.
Zahran added depth, noting the MB’s rigid structure akin to a “secret society.” Recruits swear loyalty on the Quran with a loaded pistol to their head, enforcing “Al-Samaa wa Al-Taa” (obedience and loyalty). Defection from the Brotherhood is as rare and perilous, as the brainwashing is all encompassing. Zahran likened it to leaving the mafia. Zahran revealed that the Moslem Brotherhood global headquarters –which they refer to as a community society – is in Jordan, just miles from the king’s palace, led by Hamam Saeed, a ruthless PhD in Sharia. This centralized command ensures unwavering discipline, even among high-profile members like Turkish President Erdogan, who, according to Zahran, visited Amman shortly after his election to pay homage, and make clear what his ideology is centered upon.
The MB’s early years were marked by anti-colonial fervor, but it quickly evolved into a vehicle for pan-Islamic supremacy. By the 1930s, it had allied with Nazi Germany, influencing figures like Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who stoked antisemitic riots and massacres in Israel, and broadcasted antisemitic propaganda from Berlin. This foundation laid the groundwork for the MB’s historical role in fostering extremism.
Historical Influence: From Proxy Wars to Global Jihad
The MB’s influence permeates a century of conflict. Ne’eman traced its fingerprints on groups like Hamas, which he described as the “Palestine chapter” of the MB. Founded in 1987, Hamas’s charter echoes MB doctrines, blending antisemitism with calls for Islamic world conquest and Palestinian Arab nationalism. Ne’eman, author of “Hamas Jihad: Anti-Semitism, Islamic World Conquest, and the Manipulation of Palestinian Nationalism,” argued that the MB’s Sunni dominance—encompassing 85-90% of Muslims—amplifies its reach compared to Shia Iran, which represents only some 10-15% of the two billion Moslems in the world.
Zahran highlighted Jordan’s pivotal role, dubbing it the “point of gravity” in the Middle East. He recounted how King Hussein allied with the MB in 1970 during Black September, when they sided against PLO fedayeen, labeling their killings – along with thousands of Palestinian Arabs – as religiously sanctioned “jihad.” This “Catholic marriage” between the Hashemites and MB persists, with Zahran citing Hussein’s 1996 admission that the MB was the regime’s “own political party.” Historically, the MB has manipulated Palestinian Arab nationalism, as seen in its support for Hamas leaders like Khaled Mashal, a Jordanian national.
Globally, the MB birthed Al-Qaeda and inspired ISIS. Ne’eman referenced Abdullah Azzam, a Jordanian-Palestinian MB scholar and Osama Bin Laden’s mentor, whose fatwas justified alliances with the West (e.g., against Soviets in Afghanistan) only to turn against them later. In one of the dynamic interactions between the panelists, Zahran noted how impressed he was with Ne’eman’s knowledge about Azzam, and shared a personal anecdote: Azzam was his parents’ neighbor in Amman, underscoring Jordan’s being a breeding ground for Azzam and jihadists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, ISIS’s brutal architect.
Because Azzam was so important, and jihadist Islamic leaders would make regular pilgrimages to see him, Zahran shared about his impromptu face to face encounter with Osama bin Laden as one of the revering pilgrims.
The MB’s infiltration has also extended to the West. Post-9/11, U.S. administrations unwittingly bolstered it; Zahran noted WikiLeaks cables revealing Bush-era directives to engage Jordan’s MB. Ne’eman linked this to the “red-green axis”—Marxist-Islamist alliances exploiting Western freedoms for subversion.
Current Threats: Infiltration, Funding, and Proxy Alliances
Today, the MB poses existential risks through infiltration of Western nations and the developing world, massive parallel funding networks that exist in the shadows, and alliances made with others that ultimately serve their long-term objectives. The Trump administration’s January 2026 designations targeted MB branches in Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon specifically for aiding Hamas post-October 7, 2023. Zahran expanded on this noting that Jordan’s MB smuggled arms and managed aid drops at the behest of Hamas, while Egypt’s facilitated smuggling from Sinai, enabling its massive arms buildup over two decades, and ensuring Hamas’s two-year ammunition supply after the war began. Lebanon’s supplied ISIS fighters to Syria.
Ne’eman warned of broader threats: Qatar and Turkey as state agents of the Moslem Brotherhood. He noted Qatar’s trillions fund U.S. campuses and media like Al Jazeera, radicalizing youth. He noted that Al-Jazeera and its patron government both need to be branded terrorist entities. Turkey, under Erdogan (an MB affiliate), ranks as the world’s eighth military power, shielding jihadists. Both evade sanctions due to U.S. bases and NATO ties, despite Trump’s “friendships.”
Zahran introduced what he called, “the C word”—China—as a shadowy enabler. According to Zahrah, Beijing props up MB allies like Jordan, UAE, Qatar, and Iran, viewing Israel and the West as obstacles.
While Israel is typically in the crosshairs of the MB and all its chapters, the conversation turned to its domestic MB affiliates. It’s noteworthy that the Arab Islamist Ra’am party – one of three Arab parties that sit in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) under Mansour Abbas joined the previous Israeli governing coalition, the first Arab Islamist party to do so. However in what was interpreted as a way to prevent itself from being branded a terrorist MB entity, following the Trump 2025 Executive Order, the MB-linked Ra’am party severed formal ties with the MB publicly. It also announced that membership would be open to Israeli Jews. Zahran dismissed this as façade noting that once you’re in, you don’t leave.
In the West, threats manifest in “dawah” (proselytization). Doron Keidar, a Gaza IDF veteran, joined the conversation to bring concluding remarks. As he spoke he displayed a Hamas flag bearing the MB emblem, found amid thousands like them in Gaza. He cited U.S. libraries stocking propagandistic books like “We Are Palestinian,” twisting and perverting history to indoctrinate children.
Ne’eman stressed the MB’s massive sources of criminal funding, again bringing in mafia-like comparisons, with major income from drugs and oil smuggling via Turkey. Its victims? Mostly Moslems, noting that 98% of jihadist killings target co-religionists deemed “apostates.”
Ways to Eradicate the Brotherhood: Awareness, Legal Iron Fist, and Global Outlawing
Eradication of the MB demands multifaceted and sustained global action. Ne’eman advocated an “iron fist” outlawing the MB globally, seizing assets, and prosecute advocates like Nazis per prosecuted. Awareness is key, and the West must educate on the Brotherhood and its dangerous theology and ideology. Targeting funding from Qatar and Turkey is also critical, despite Trump’s embrace of their leaders as friends. He criticized Trump’s “warning shots” as insufficient without hitting these “snakes’ heads.”
Zahran proposed practical U.S. steps including revoking visas and green cards for people with jihadi affiliations, even retroactively. As a former U.S. Embassy staffer, he urged DHS to enforce “good behavior” clauses, deporting inciters. This “litmus test” he emphasized would deter radicals, as most Moslems aren’t jihadists but fear troublemakers.
Keidar emphasized legal ingenuity: Use Western laws against dawah groups like CAIR. In Israel, ban funding for radical camps that brainwash Arab Israelis in Turkey.
Globally, the panelists agreed it’s critical to expand terrorist designations. Zahran noted Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on domestic Wahhabism as a model, despite public radicalism. Ne’eman urged targeting the red-green axis, including China’s role.
2028 marks the Moslem Brotherhood’s centennial yet if it becomes a litmus test of the 2028 presidential campaign, and if the candidates heed the warnings, could mark its end. Eradication isn’t optional; it’s survival for the West and moderate Moslems alike.
If the Moslem Brotherhood is not eradicated swiftly, the West will be in peril of its own eradication.
Follow the entire conversation on YouTube here, https://www.youtube.com/@Genesis123Foundation and the audio here.
Jonathan Feldstein is president of the Genesis 123 Foundation (www,genesis123.co) whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians and Christians with Israel. He was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six, and grandfather of four (so far).
Two sons and a son in law are currently serving in the IDF and have been involved in combat in Gaza and Lebanon since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel.
Jonathan is a leader working with and among Christian supporters of Israel, and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel through his work, writing, and as host of the Inspiration from Zion podcast. Since the war began, he has authored more than 150 articles, and participated in a similar number of interviews, briefings, prayer events, and more.
Jonathan is working with Christian leaders all over the world to realize a true peace in Gaza, details of which can be found at www.SolutionforPeaceinGaza.com.
In 2023 he published the highly acclaimed book, Israel the Miracle (www.israelthemiracle.com), which makes a great gift for Chanukah and Christmas, and year round.
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