Unprecedented rift splits Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood
The Shura Council of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood has decided to revoke the membership of 10 leading members belonging to the Zamzam Initiative, a group that seeks to break ties with Egypt’s Brotherhood.
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamist organization in the kingdom, is facing the biggest crisis in its 70 years of existence. On Feb. 14, the group’s Shura Council, the highest body in the organization, voted to terminate the membership of 10 leading members, including former overseer Abdul Majid Thuneibat, for “violating the basic law of the group,” creating an internal rift within the Brotherhood.
According to a statement by the organization, “a number of members collected signatures and met with government officials to seek a new license” in the name of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. Most of those whose membership was revoked belong to the so-called Zamzam Initiative, a reformist movement within the group that wants to sever the Muslim Brotherhood’s ties to Egypt. Most were threatened with suspension last year for violating the group’s internal laws, but the decision of the Shura Council is final.
