College of Arts and Sciences

Political Science Professor on Fox News 'Special Report' on Proposed FTO Designation for Muslim Group  

Robert PallittoProfessor Robert Pallitto, a constitutional law expert and chair of the of Department of Political Science and Public Affairs, appeared on a Fox News national "Special Report" regarding the potential ramifications of the United States designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization or "FTO."

Because the group is said to have renounced violence, has elected legislators serving in governments across the globe and runs a number of medical and educational facilities, designating the group as an FTO has been proposed and rejected repeatedly in recent years. In addition, because the Muslim Brotherhood is an ideology as much as a clearly defined organization, making it an FTO would be, in effect, "criminalizing belief." 

There would also be difficulties resulting from "material support, aid or service" prohibitions against the group under The Patriot Act, which are triggered by an FTO designation. For instance, doctors who worked in hospitals funded by the group could be held culpable for simply treating patients. In addition, under the Patriot Act an investigative process could be undertaken against any of the group's "associates"— a wide-ranging term legally.

For these and a number of other reasons, Professor Pallitto stated that the group does not qualify as a terrorist organization under U.S. law and that designating the group as an FTO "…is bad in legal terms, I think it's bad in terms of diplomacy, bad in terms of civil liberties and bad in terms of our Constitutional tradition. And it could have a devastating effect on Muslim-American communities in the United States."

See the Fox News "Special Report" on the potential ramifications of the U.S. designating the Muslim Brotherhood and FTO.

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