Photo by Flickr/Gage Skidmore
Audio By Carbonatix
Florida has announced plans to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group, a foreign terrorist organization.
On Monday night, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state would be taking this step — a move that closely follows a similar order issued in November by Texas Gov. (and fellow Republican) Greg Abbott. In a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), DeSantis wrote that “Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities” by CAIR, “including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support.”
CAIR responded by announcing plans to file a lawsuit against DeSantis, calling his actions “defamatory and unconstitutional” and accusing the governor of “baselessly smearing” the organization. (Only the federal government can officially designate terrorist organizations, and CAIR is not on the U.S. government’s list of designated foreign terrorist organizations.)
“Trying to declare one of the most prominent Muslim rights groups in America a terrorist organization is not only unlawful, it is also dangerous,” Edward Mitchell, CAIR’s national deputy director, tells New Times. “It sets a target on our backs and encourages extremists to target us.”
This year, make your gift count –
Invest in local news that matters.
Our work is funded by readers like you who make voluntary gifts because they value our work and want to see it continue. Make a contribution today to help us reach our $30,000 goal!
Founded in 1994 as a leading civil rights and advocacy group for Muslims in the United States, CAIR’s mission is to “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims,” according to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization’s website.
DeSantis’ statement claims that CAIR was “founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood,” which it connects to Hamas and the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. CAIR denies ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Complaints of anti-Muslim discrimination have reached their highest level since CAIR began reporting the data in 1996. In 2024, CAIR received 8,658 complaints nationwide, a 7.4 percent increase from the previous year.
Just last month at the University of South Florida (USF) campus in Tampa, members of the Muslim Student Association were harassed by three men who shouted at them during their early morning prayers atop a campus parking garage, telling them they were “going to hell.” In a livestreamed video, the men insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad and waved pieces of bacon at them (pork is forbidden in Islam). The men are now facing hate crime charges.
Mitchell worries that DeSantis’ announcement will lead to more hate crimes against Muslims in Florida.
“He is giving permission for extremists to act on their fantasies, to act on their conspiracy theories,” Mitchell says. “Ron DeSantis knows what he’s doing. He is endangering the Florida Muslim community to protect a foreign government, the Israeli government, from legitimate criticism. That’s what all this is about.”
Mitchell emphasizes that this won’t impact CAIR’s work, which works to challenge stereotypes of Islam and Muslims.
“The most important thing to note is that these publicity stunts, whether in Texas or Florida, do not stop the work of our civil rights organization,” Mitchell says. “We are still doing our work without any change. The only difference now is we’re having to fight back against this proclamation and make sure that it doesn’t actually have any impact on our ability to continue protecting the people of Florida.”
He continues: “Right now, it’s just a publicity stunt. We need to make sure it does not actually become a policy.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated as events warrant.
