🧠 BLUF
A 1991 Muslim Brotherhood (MB) memo describes a “civilization-jihadist” project to “eliminate and destroy Western civilization from within.” That language is real and on the record—yet many media/influencers wave it off as old or “taken out of context.”
U.S. hearings and expert testimony have repeatedly raised concerns about MB ideology and networks operating in the West—but coverage often reduces this to partisan noise rather than a long-view security question.
Debate over FTO designation is ongoing; legal thresholds and foreign-policy tradeoffs are real—but that dispute is being used to downplay the memo’s stated aims and the influence ecosystem around them.
Keep reading below …
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📡 CONTEXT
The 1991 “Explanatory Memorandum” attributed to MB strategist Mohamed Akram—entered as evidence in the Holy Land Foundation case—spells out “settlement” in North America as a civilization-jihad process. This is not rumor; the text exists in full and is cited across government and academic analyses. Media skepticism tends to center on how to interpret its reach—not whether it was written.
⚠️ THREAT PROFILE
What’s documented vs. what’s debated—so we don’t get gaslit by semantics:
The memo’s language is explicit. It frames work in America as a “grand jihad” to undermine Western civilization from within and includes a page listing “our organizations and the organizations of our friends.” (Skeptics note the line “imagine if they all march according to one plan,” implying aspiration, not command-and-control.)
The list exists on paper; linkage varies in practice. The roster has been widely publicized (and litigated in public debate); analysts disagree on how tightly those U.S. groups were coordinated under Cairo.
Congress has aired the risk. House hearings in 2018 examined MB’s global network and U.S. implications; witnesses urged a harder line, while others cautioned against over-broad labels that could chill lawful civil activity.
Designation fight = ongoing. Some lawmakers/policymakers push FTO or related sanctions; legal experts and civil-liberties groups warn of definitional and constitutional pitfalls. Recent statements show the debate is hot again in 2025.
STAND WITH THE MISSION...
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🧍♂️ FOR EVERYDAY AMERICANS — HOW TO READ THROUGH THE NOISE
Acknowledge the text. Don’t let anyone tell you the memo “doesn’t exist” or says something milder—it’s accessible and plain. Read it.
Separate intent from proof of control. The memo states an ideological objective; proving centralized command over every U.S. org is a higher bar. Keep both thoughts in your head.
Watch for narrative laundering. When coverage jumps straight to “nothing to see here,” that’s your cue to check primary sources and bipartisan hearings.
Keep reading below …
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👮♂️ FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT — PUBLIC-SAFE REMINDERS
Intelligence hygiene: Treat the memo as ideological doctrine that can shape front-end narratives, influence ops, and coalition building—even where criminal thresholds aren’t met.
Map the ecosystem, not just the label. Track funding flows, messaging convergence, and influence touchpoints in academia, NGOs, and politics; avoid conflating peaceful activism with criminal conduct—focus on behaviors and links.
Avoid over-reach traps. The FTO debate is real; coordinate closely with counsel and JTTF/Fusion Centers to keep actions within constitutional guardrails.
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🧠 SDN ANALYSIS — JON WHEATON
Here’s the plain truth the blue-check class keeps glossing: the memo’s words are not ambiguous. Whatever you believe about present-day command structures, a century-old movement laid out a soft-jihad strategy for America in black and white—and parts of that ideology still animate networks and narratives today. When media and influencers flatten this to “old doc, nothing burger,” they train the public not to notice long-game subversion.
Policy pros can debate designations. Citizens don’t need a courtroom to practice vigilance: read primary sources, track influence patterns, and insist on transparency from institutions shaped by ideological actors—violent or not. Alarm isn’t hysteria when the documents speak for themselves.
GodSpeed
Jon Wheaton
