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DeSantis Designates CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood as ‘Foreign Terrorist’ Groups in Florida

The move tests whether a governor can impose terrorism labels that federal law reserves to Washington.

Overview

  • Florida’s executive order takes effect immediately and directs state agencies to deny contracts, funding, employment and other privileges to the groups and to anyone deemed to provide them material support.
  • CAIR and its Florida chapter said they will sue, calling the order unconstitutional and defamatory, and DeSantis told reporters he welcomes the legal challenge.
  • Texas issued a similar designation in November, and CAIR has already filed a federal lawsuit there seeking to block that order.
  • Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is on the U.S. government’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, though President Donald Trump has ordered an interagency review of certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters.
  • DeSantis’s order links CAIR to the Muslim Brotherhood and cites alleged ties to Hamas, claims the organization disputes while asserting it condemns terrorism and serves as a U.S. civil rights group.