Saudi journalist Mamdouh Al-Muhaini, director-general of Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, welcomed Jordan’s decision to ban the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), calling it a critical step to protect the kingdom from chaos and insurgency.
However, he warned that banning the group is not enough—its extremist ideology, deeply rooted in society, must also be eradicated.
Al-Muhaini argued that the Muslim Brotherhood has survived for nearly a century because weak or opportunistic regimes tolerated it—sometimes even using it to gain legitimacy or mobilize against rivals. Economic collapse, corruption, and cultural negligence allowed the MB to present itself as an alternative force, gaining dangerous popularity.
He likened the Brotherhood’s ideology to Nazism and fascism, warning that such movements only truly die when they are defeated militarily, economically, and culturally. Drawing from post-WWII Germany, Al-Muhaini stressed that crushing Nazi Germany was not enough—building a prosperous and stable society was key to ensuring Nazism never returned.
Jordan’s move, he said, closes an important chapter but opens a tougher battle: fighting the ideology itself. If Arab states only ban the Brotherhood without rebuilding economic strength, fixing corruption, and reclaiming the educational and religious spaces the MB has infiltrated, they risk seeing extremism reemerge stronger than before.
Al-Muhaini concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood must be dismantled across all sectors—security, culture, and economy—before it poisons another generation. He urged Arab leaders to act decisively, warning that just like Nazism and fascism, Islamist extremism must be defeated completely, or it will continue to destabilize the region.
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