Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has labeled one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the United States as a “foreign terrorist organization,” mirroring a similar action taken by Texas recently. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood have been targeted in an executive order issued by DeSantis.
The executive order directs Florida agencies to block CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood from obtaining contracts, employment, or funds from any state executive or cabinet agency. In response, CAIR, along with its Florida chapter, announced plans to take legal action against DeSantis, denouncing the proclamation as “unconstitutional” and “defamatory.”
Taking a defiant stance on social media, CAIR criticized DeSantis’s political relevance since his defeat by Donald Trump and vowed to challenge him in court. The organization also accused DeSantis of prioritizing the Israeli government over the interests of Florida residents.
CAIR, founded in 1994 with 25 chapters nationwide, has been actively involved in legal battles with the federal government post-9/11, advocating for individuals wrongly placed on the government’s secret terrorism watchlist, which affects air travel permissions. The organization has faced challenges under both Trump administrations, including legal disputes over policies such as the travel ban affecting Muslim-majority countries and crackdowns on immigration.
Recently, CAIR condemned the verbal attacks by Trump on Somali Americans in Minnesota and presented its Champions of Justice award to Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University. Additionally, CAIR criticized the arrest of pro-Palestinian commentator Sami Hamdi by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, highlighting concerns over freedom of speech and press freedoms.
The Muslim Brotherhood, established in Egypt nearly a century ago with a global presence, claims to have renounced violence and aims to establish Islamic governance through peaceful means. However, critics, particularly autocratic regimes in the Middle East, perceive the organization as a threat.
Notably, there are no known chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood operating within the United States.