In Florida, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is gearing up to take legal action against Governor Ron DeSantis after he labeled the organization a foreign terrorist group.
On December 8, DeSantis declared, “Effective immediately, the State of Florida will designate the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations.”
He added that Florida agencies are instructed to take all legal measures to prevent illegal activities by these entities, including withholding resources and privileges from those offering support to them.
This executive order also includes a designation for the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the order, as mentioned in Section 1:
The Muslim Brotherhood, its branches, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, along with any other organization deemed a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, are classified as terrorist organizations in accordance with this Executive Order.
Reportedly, Hiba Rahim, CAIR’s deputy executive director, described the order as an assault rooted in conspiracy theories during a press conference. She drew parallels to historical discrimination against Jewish, Irish, and Italian-American groups.
CAIR National and CAIR-Florida issued a joint statement indicating that a lawsuit is on the horizon.
They expressed frustration, stating that since entering office, DeSantis has focused more on serving the Israeli government than the people of Florida. The statement detailed his actions, including diverting taxpayer funds to Israel’s national debt and attempts to shut down Palestine Justice student chapters at universities—though he retreated after CAIR filed a federal lawsuit.
The statement emphasized:
Governor DeSantis knows that CAIR-Florida is a civil rights organization committed to promoting free speech and justice for everyone, including Palestinians. This is precisely why he is targeting civil rights groups with this unconstitutional and defamatory action.
We anticipate successfully contesting Governor DeSantis’ latest maneuvers in court, where facts are paramount and baseless theories hold no ground. Meanwhile, we call on Floridians and all Americans to oppose this latest assault on the Constitution for a foreign interest.
It’s not unexpected that a lawsuit is in the works, considering CAIR had recently sued Governor Abbott of Texas, accusing him of issuing a similar unconstitutional designation.
