TALLAHASSEE: The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has formally designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organisations at the state level.
The announcement was made on Monday and comes shortly after Texas took similar action last month under Governor Greg Abbott.
DeSantis’ executive order directs Florida agencies to take all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organisations, including restricting resources or privileges for anyone providing them material support.
The governor shared images of the order in a post on X, stating that the move is aimed at countering activities by groups he classified as threats.
The designation applies only at the state level and does not carry the legal weight of a federal foreign terrorist organisation listing, which is under the jurisdiction of the US State Department. Earlier, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing agencies to begin the formal process of designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist entities at the federal level.
In response, CAIR and its Florida chapter condemned the action and announced plans to file a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis. In a joint statement, the organisations described the move as “defamatory and unconstitutional” and accused the governor of prioritising the interests of a foreign government over Floridians.
The statement also referenced Texas’ earlier designation, accusing both governors of attempting to silence American Muslims critical of US policies toward Israel. “We look forward to challenging Governor DeSantis’ latest action in court, where facts will prevail over conspiracy theories,” the statement said.
CAIR urged Floridians and Americans nationwide to oppose what it called an unconstitutional effort targeting the community.
This latest state-level designation comes amid broader national debates about the Muslim Brotherhood and related organisations in the United States, raising legal and political questions about state versus federal authority in declaring entities as terrorist groups.
