Florida labels CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the nation’s most prominent Muslim civil-rights groups, as a “foreign terrorist organization.” He is the second major Republican governor in recent weeks to take such action.
According to Reuters, Texas Governor Greg Abbott enacted a similar designation last month, prompting CAIR to file a federal lawsuit alleging that the move is an unconstitutional effort to punish the organization for its viewpoints. CAIR is expected to announce a separate legal challenge against the state of Florida.
DeSantis’ order claims CAIR has ties to Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group in Gaza — an allegation the organization strongly rejects. In a joint statement issued Monday, CAIR and its Florida chapter condemned the order as “unconstitutional and defamatory.”
The decree also names the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt, as a foreign terrorist organization, echoing the language of Abbott’s order in Texas.
The U.S. government has not classified CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations. However, former President Donald Trump began efforts last month to pursue such designations for certain Muslim Brotherhood branches in countries including Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Under the Florida order, state agencies are instructed to block CAIR from receiving contracts, employment, or funding from the state.
Founded in 1994, CAIR operates chapters in nearly two dozen U.S. states.
