Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood has formally split just after 70 years — a breakup blamed on long-running ideological disputes, but also on a government attempt to further weaken what was once the country's principal opposition group.
The split deals a new blow to the region-wide Brotherhood movement, which has been outlawed as a terror group by close Jordan allies Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In Jordan, some warned that the government's apparent divide-and-manage policy could backfire by pushing extra Brotherhood supporters into the ranks of extremists like the Islamic State group, observed as the major threat to the country's stability.
The new, officially licensed Brotherhood offshoot defines itself as a strictly Jordanian group, saying it reduce ties with the regional movement to stay away from getting branded as militant.
"We were concerned that we would be regarded as a terrorist organization if we continued to be a branch of an organization branded as a terrorist group," the group's leader, Abdel-Majid Thnaibat, told The Connected Press.
The larger Brotherhood faction, nevertheless loyal to the regional movement, alleged the government engineered the division to weaken the group.
"This is a coup sponsored by the regime," spokesman Murad Adaileh told the AP.
Jordan's government has declined to address the allegation.
The split was formalized earlier this month when the government licensed Thnaibat's breakaway faction, and the core movement promptly expelled the defectors.
The status of the second faction now remains unclear.
A government official stated that though Thnaibat's group registered with the authorities, the other faction "did not correct" its status, suggesting it is legally vulnerable. The official spoke on situation of anonymity since he was not authorized to talk about the issue with reporters.
It is not clear if Jordan's authorities at some point will outlaw the original movement, which is deeply rooted in Jordanian society by way of its social outreach and welfare program. There have been some signs of a crackdown in recent months, which includes the arrests of about two dozen activists and the sentencing of the group's No. two — Zaki Bani Ersheid — to 18 month in prison for criticizing the Emirates.
The problems have place the Brotherhood in Jordan at its lowest point in years. It has no representation in parliament simply because of self-imposed election boycotts and is losing some of its young to extremist groups.
"The Brotherhood, by relative standards, is fairly innocuous, it's not a important threat to the kingdom," mentioned David Schenker of the Washington Institute for Close to East Policy, a feel tank. "Many are asking what (is the) utility of kicking the Brotherhood when it is down."
The division was preceded by long-operating ideological disagreements among "doves" and "hawks," exacerbated by 2007 Gaza takeover of the Islamic militant Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood.
The doves emphasize their Jordanian identity, want to retain Hamas at arm's length, seem more prepared to play by the restrictive guidelines set by the monarchy and want to focus on "dawa," or preaching. The hawks criticize government policies additional openly, specifically Jordan's peace treaty with Israel, embrace Hamas and see the Brotherhood as a transnational movement.
Tribal identities also appear to play a part, as Thnaibat and some of his essential supporters are members of Jordan's Bedouin tribes, while some of the top hawks are descendants of Palestinian refugees.
For years, the Brotherhood was Jordan's largest and most cohesive opposition group, in search of political reform, but stopping brief of looking for the ouster of the king. With the hawks in charge, friction in between the Brotherhood and the government has grown in recent years.
At the identical time, the Jordanian Brotherhood has been weakened by regional developments in current years, which includes the expanding ideological competition from Islamic extremists following the outbreak of the Arab Spring uprising in 2011.
Some warn the government crackdown could radicalize Brotherhood supporters and help swell the ranks of the Islamic State group. Jordan has taken on a higher-profile role in a U.S.-led military coalition that carries out airstrikes against the militants, right after they burned a captive Jordanian pilot to death in a cage. Jordan's King Abdullah II has framed the battle as an ideological fight to the finish.
Others say the Brotherhood is responsible for losing supporters.
"The Muslim Brotherhood failed to deal with the young generation and to lead them in the correct path," mentioned Mahmoud al-Kharabseh, a pro-government legislator.
Analyst Labib Kamhawi stated the Brotherhood's troubles supplied an opportunity for the government to encourage the split.
"Jordan is basically trying to trim the Brotherhood in energy and size, to be in a position to manage it easily," he stated.
It is not clear how the rival factions will now deal with every single other, and no matter whether court battles over the Brotherhood brand and the movement's properties, such as hospitals and genuine estate, are looming.
Adaileh alleged that trying to entangle the Brotherhood in legal battles is component of the government's alleged strategy of weakening the movement.
Thnaibat left open the possibility that his group will participate in future elections following the Brotherhood boycotted the final two rounds over claims the method favored tribal candidates. He also said his group would attempt to persuade the rank and file to join them.
"We are going to get in touch with our Brothers in the provinces to explain to them why a Brother shouldn't keep in an illegal organization," he said.
*AP
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