Ron DeSantis’ decision to designate CAIR a “terrorist organization” could fuel Islamophobia across the US, the group’s head has warned
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said on Tuesday it would sue Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the Republican labeled the group a “foreign terrorist organization.” CAIR called the move unconstitutional and defamatory.
DeSantis signed an executive order on Tuesday designating CAIR as a “foreign terrorist organization” and urged state agencies to act against anyone who provides “material support” to the group.
In response, CAIR’s Florida branch announced a lawsuit, saying the governor’s “designation has no basis in law or fact.” Deputy executive director Hiba Rahim said at a news conference that the order was an attack rooted in conspiracy theories and compared it to past efforts that targeted Jewish, Irish, and Italian American communities.
The order alleges CAIR has ties to Palestinian militant group Hamas and it instructs Florida agencies to prevent CAIR from receiving “any state contracts, employment or funding.”
“We are very proud to defend the founding principles of our Constitution, to defend free speech,” Rahim told reporters on Tuesday. “We’ll continue doing the work that we do every day to defend civil liberties and protect American Muslims, and to protect the community at large and to uphold the Constitution,” he added.
On its website, the group describes itself as a civil rights and advocacy organization, saying “CAIR’s civil rights department counsels, mediates and advocates on behalf of Muslims and others who have experienced religious discrimination, defamation or hate crimes.”
Rahim said DeSantis’s decision would not have an immediate effect on the group, but warned it could fuel Islamophobia in Florida and across the US. According to her, the governor’s support for Israel played a role in the order and the group’s activism caused “discomfort” to the US ally.
DeSantis defended the move on Tuesday, saying his administration had sufficient grounds and that he welcomed a lawsuit, calling it “a long time coming.” His order also labels the Muslim Brotherhood a “foreign terrorist” organization, following President Donald Trump’s executive order last month to consider designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization. DeSantis said he expects Florida lawmakers to pursue related legislation when they meet again in January, calling his action “the beginning.”
Critics, however, called the governor’s “foreign terrorist” label largely symbolic, noting that such designations can be made only at the federal level.
