Global Islamism Monitor No. 128

AMMAN CRACKS DOWN ON THE IKHWAN
Last month, the Kingdom of Jordan formally outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan Muslimoon), the country's most prominent opposition group. The move followed the arrest of 16 Brotherhood members by Jordanian security forces. The individuals in question had received training in, and financing from, Lebanon, and were reportedly plotting to attack Jordanian targets using rockets and drones. Under the new restrictions, the group has been banned in its entirety, with punishments extended to those who promote its ideology. (Reuters, April 23, 2025)

RUSSIA REHABILITATES THE TALIBAN
Slowly but surely, the international community is softening its stance toward the Taliban. When the Islamist movement surged back to power in Afghanistan in August of 2021, on the heels of the Biden administration's withdrawal of military forces, it was initially greeted by widespread condemnation – and isolation – from foreign nations. Over time, however, more and more governments have made their peace with the group, and established some level of contacts with it.

Russia is among them. Back in November, Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's National Security Council, visited Kabul for consultations with Taliban officials. And last month, the government of Vladimir Putin lifted a two-decade-old ban on the group, taking another step in a gradual reconciliation process that has unfolded in recent months. According to observers, Moscow is basing this outreach on a pragmatic calculation – that both it and the Taliban share a common enemy in the Islamic State, and that the two can collaborate against the group. It could, however, lay the groundwork for even greater ties, and many expect the Kremlin to eventually extend "official recognition" to the Taliban, something the group has been overwhelmingly denied to date. (Bloomberg, April 24, 2025)

DOHA DEEPENS ITS STAKE IN POST-ASSAD SYRIA...
In recent years, Qatar has become an outsized power broker in international affairs. The tiny Gulf kingdom's ruling al-Thani family has used its enormous wealth to influence world governments, positioned itself as an indispensable mediator for a bevy of international conflicts, and inserted itself as a key player in Middle Eastern Affairs. Syria provides a case in point. With the unexpected fall of the regime of Ba'athist strongman Bashar al-Assad last December, Doha has seen an opening to spread it influence – and acted promptly to do so. Via its influential Al-Jazeera television channel, it has opened various training and media initiatives throughout the country, establishing the media network as a major influence on the fledgling government of former Islamist rebel Ahmed al-Sha'ara (see Information Warfare Watch no. 44).

Now, Qatar is progressing further still, striking a quiet deal with the Trump administration to underwrite the public sector in post-Assad Syria. Under the arrangement, which has been confirmed by Syrian finance minister Mohammed Yusr Barnia, Doha will provide the new Syrian regime with some $29 million per month for a quarter of a year to pay the salaries of public sector employees. The initiative, which has the potential to be reauthorized after its initial term, is expected to dramatically boost the salaries of government workers. It comes amid efforts by al-Sha'ara to strengthen his control over the war-torn country. (Asharq Al-Awsat, May 8, 2025)

...AS DAMASCUS GRAPPLES WITH INCONVENIENT JIHADIS
However, that control is proving difficult to establish, due in part to the new Syrian regime's former allies. As the Wall Street Journal details, al-Sha'ara and his comrades-in-arms in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a one-time al-Qaeda affiliate, relied heavily on the assistance of foreign jihadis to wrest power from Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad back in December. All told, the newspaper estimates, "up to 10,000 fighters from across the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia lent crucial muscle" to HTS in its successful offensive against the Assad regime. But now, these foreign forces have become "a liability" for the new Syrian government, with their hardline Islamist creed at odds with the more inclusive, moderate image that al-Sha'ara's government is seeking to project – and thereby lessen the international sanctions that have long been levied against Syria.

For their part, these militants have no plans to departs. "I came here for jihad and will stay even as a martyr," the Journal cites one fighter from Central Asia as saying. "I hope to stay here and settle." (Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2025)