FLORIDA, USA—A sweeping executive order issued by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday has ignited fierce controversy and alarm among American Muslims, civil rights organizations, and legal experts across the United States. The contentious order formally designates the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)—the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization—and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations.
This move comes exactly one month after Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a similar proclamation, which CAIR is already fighting in federal court. Governor DeSantis’s action significantly expands this legal and political battle. Breaking from his usual public announcements, the Governor disseminated the order with unusual silence, simply posting on X (formerly Twitter) that the directive was effective immediately.
A Challenge to Civil Liberties and Constitutional Rights
The designation has generated immediate concern within civil rights circles, as this marks the first time two major US states have attempted to label an organization as ‘terrorist’ that has spent over three decades defending American constitutional principles, civil liberties, and religious freedom through courts and legislative bodies. This action potentially impacts the rights and activities of millions of American Muslims.
CAIR’s National Office and its Florida Chapter jointly condemned the order in the strongest terms, labeling it unconstitutional, malicious, baseless, and an act of political retaliation. The joint statement asserted that Governor DeSantis is fully aware that CAIR-Florida is a legitimate US civil rights organization advocating for free speech, religious liberty, and justice for the Palestinian people, and that these principles are the root cause of the political targeting. The organization has announced its intention to file a lawsuit in federal court against the Florida action.
The Florida executive order justifies its position by claiming that CAIR’s founders had ideological links to the Muslim Brotherhood—an organization under intense scrutiny in post-October 7 security narratives. The order attempts to draw a conceptual link between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas to include CAIR in the designation, despite CAIR’s consistent and vigorous denial of any ties to Hamas or any designated terrorist group.
Crucially, unlike the Texas proclamation, the Florida order does not prohibit CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood from acquiring property. Instead, it explicitly instructs state agencies to deny any contracts, grants, funding, employment, or state benefits to these organizations or any individuals or entities deemed associated with them.
