Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Florida becomes the second US state after Texas to make the declaration. Despite the fact that neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is listed as a terrorist organization by the US government.
CAIR, a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization founded in 1994, rejected the move as “defamatory and unconstitutional,” saying it would challenge the order in court.
The Florida chapter told US media the actual intention behind the decision. DeSantis is weaponizing state power against American Muslims who criticize US policy in the Middle East.
CAIR rejects allegations as Islamophobic, plans legal action
DeSantis claimed CAIR was “founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood” and repeated unproven allegations linking the organization to Hamas.
His order directs Florida agencies to deny contracts, employment, and funding to any individual or group that has provided “material support” to CAIR.
CAIR responded sharply, saying DeSantis had “prioritized serving the Israeli government over serving the people of Florida,” noting that he held his first official cabinet meeting in Israel and diverted “millions in Florida taxpayer dollars” toward Israeli bonds.
The group added that both DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott were attempting to silence American Muslims critical of US support for Israeli military operations.
CAIR has already sued Abbott over Texas’s designation, arguing that it violates constitutional protections and lacks any legal basis.
Unconstitutional move raises questions about US policy direction
The federal US government, including the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, does not classify CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.
However, President Donald Trump directed officials to begin exploring whether Muslim Brotherhood branches operating in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan could be labelled as “terrorist entities,” citing alleged ties to Hamas.
Against this backdrop, the unilateral designations by Florida and Texas raise questions about how individual states are adopting foreign-policy-like positions independent of federal law. The move questions US foreign policy decision-making and coincides with US federal institutions responsible for making foreign policy decisions.
CAIR warned that such moves represent a growing trend of Islamophobia disguised as counterterrorism, adding that they reflect the voices of the weak at a time of heightened debate over Gaza and US support for Israel.
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