Washington, D.C.
As Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushes to officially designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, new revelations are shedding light on just how deeply the group’s network has embedded itself in American religious and civic life. A federal investigation has found that the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) — a group founded by Muslim Brotherhood affiliates — currently holds deeds to more than 400 mosques and Islamic institutions across the United States.
The North American Islamic Trust was founded in 1973 as a financial arm of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), which itself was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood seeking to spread Islamist ideology in the West. While NAIT presents itself as a benign charitable trust dedicated to “supporting Islamic institutions,” federal court documents have previously linked it to terror financing cases and Hamas-related investigations.
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice named NAIT as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism-funding trial in American history — the Holy Land Foundation case, which exposed how millions of dollars were funneled from U.S.-based charities to Hamas. Despite decades of warnings, the organization continues to hold the titles to hundreds of Islamic properties, effectively giving it financial leverage and ideological influence over local Muslim communities nationwide.
Secretary Rubio’s plan to label the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization marks a turning point in America’s national security posture. For years, U.S. policymakers have hesitated to take this step, citing fears of backlash from Islamic advocacy groups and foreign governments.
Rubio, however, has argued that the ideological roots of terrorism must be addressed alongside its violent expressions. His proposal aligns with longstanding intelligence findings that the Brotherhood serves as the intellectual incubator for jihadist movements such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.
“Labeling the Brotherhood for what it is — a terrorist organization — is not Islamophobia,” Rubio reportedly told aides this week. “It’s common sense. You cannot fight terrorism abroad while funding its infrastructure at home.”
The discovery that NAIT owns and controls property deeds for over 400 mosques raises urgent questions about foreign ideological influence on U.S. soil. While many American Muslims worship peacefully and reject radicalism, the centralization of mosque ownership under a trust historically linked to the Brotherhood means that financial dependency can translate into doctrinal conformity.
Experts note that the Brotherhood’s long-term strategy, outlined in a 1991 internal memorandum discovered by the FBI, calls for “civilization jihad” — a slow, strategic infiltration of Western society through institutions rather than violence. The goal, the memo stated, is to “destroy Western civilization from within.”
When a single organization with Brotherhood roots controls hundreds of mosque properties, the implications go far beyond real estate. It’s a question of who shapes the theology, leadership, and political engagement of America’s growing Muslim population.
For years, the American Left and much of the corporate press have dismissed concerns about the Brotherhood’s U.S. operations as “Islamophobic conspiracy theories.” Yet the evidence speaks for itself: court filings, financial audits, and the Brotherhood’s own documents confirm the group’s methodical plan to influence Western institutions.
The same politicians who lecture Americans about “Christian nationalism” have turned a blind eye to an actual foreign-backed religious-political network operating in plain sight. The result is a dangerous double standard — one that grants Islamist movements political protection while vilifying patriotic Christians for simply defending their faith in the public square.
Secretary Rubio’s initiative is not an attack on Islam but a defense of constitutional liberty. The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology is political Islam — a totalitarian system that seeks to replace Western legal and moral foundations with sharia governance. Recognizing that reality is not intolerance; it is truth-telling.
America’s commitment to religious freedom must never be confused with freedom to subvert the Republic. As Rubio’s designation effort gains traction, Congress and the American public face a critical decision: Will we continue to ignore the encroachment of Islamist networks under the banner of diversity, or will we confront the threat head-on?
The preservation of our constitutional order — and the safety of millions of peaceful Muslims who reject radicalism — depends on the courage to tell the truth.
Photo by Rumman Amin on Unsplash
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