According to the executive order, the country claims the two groups have ties to anti-Israel groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and other Palestinian groups.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, announcing the decision and posting the order on X/Twitter on Monday.
“Florida designates the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations,” DeSantis wrote.
According to the executive order, the country claims the two groups have ties to anti-Israel groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and other Palestinian groups.
Additionally, it authorizes the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol to take steps to prevent what it calls illegal activity associated with these groups. It also prevents individuals or entities that provide material support to CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood from receiving state contracts, funding or benefits.
CAIR and CAIR-Florida posted a joint statement on Facebook Tuesday in response to the designation.
“From the moment Ron DeSantis took office as Florida governor, he prioritized serving the government of Israel over the people of Florida,” CAIR said. “He hosted his first official Cabinet meeting in Israel. He diverted millions of Florida taxpayer dollars into Israeli government bonds. He threatened to shut down the Students for Justice for Palestine chapter at every college in Florida, only to backtrack when CAIR sued him in federal court.”
The statement criticized DeSantis for allegedly targeting the Florida Aerospace Center for criticizing U.S. support for Israel. It accuses him of trying to stifle dissent, especially from Muslim Americans, and describes CAIR-Florida as a civil rights organization that has long advocated for free speech and justice.
The statement concluded: “We look forward to defeating Governor DeSantis’ latest Israel-first ploy in court, where facts matter and conspiracy theories carry no weight. In the meantime, we encourage all Floridians and all Americans to speak out against this latest attempt to tear up the Constitution for the benefit of a foreign government.”
In the X program, CAIR Adding, “Unfortunately, none of Mr. DeSantis’ political maneuvers have succeeded. He has become politically irrelevant since Donald Trump handed him a humiliating defeat in the election. God willing, we will do the same to Mr. DeSantis in court. See you soon, Ron. We hope you have a better lawyer than Greg Abbott. From the looks of it, your facts are proven false and patently unconstitutional. Proclamation, you will need them.”
Texas also designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR
In November, Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.
“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long been clear about their goals: to impose Sharia law and establish Islamic ‘world domination,'” Abbott said in a press release. “The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support global terrorism and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation and harassment are unacceptable.”
Abbott argued in an announcement that the Muslim Brotherhood, a jihadist movement dedicated to establishing a caliphate, has been banned or restricted in Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates due to its involvement in terrorism or destabilization.
He pointed out that branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, such as the Egyptian Arms Movement and the Liwatawara organization, as well as Hamas, which was born out of the Palestinian branch of the movement, have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States. The governor added that Hamas kidnapped and murdered U.S. citizens in the October 7, 2023, massacre.
Michael Starr contributed to this report.