Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organisations, directing state agencies to cut ties and block access to government resources for anyone linked to the groups.
“Effective immediately, Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organisations,” DeSantis posted on X, adding that agencies must “undertake all lawful measures” to prevent any unlawful activity, including denying privileges or resources to individuals providing “material support”.
The executive order instructs all Florida executive and cabinet agencies to bar the two groups — and those associated with them — from receiving state contracts, employment, or funding.
The move mirrors a similar declaration issued in Texas last month, when Governor Greg Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations. Abbott’s order also prohibited the groups from purchasing land in Texas, claiming they sought to “subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment”.
CAIR-Florida has condemned the move as defamatory and politically motivated, announcing it will file a lawsuit against the governor. In a statement on social media, the organisation said “we are not backing down”, arguing the order is an attack on civil rights and free speech, and vowing to continue working with civil rights and interfaith partners to “defend civil liberties” and “uplift marginalised voices”.
Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is listed as a foreign terrorist organisation by the U.S. federal government.
CAIR, founded in 1994, is claimed to be one of the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisations, with 25 chapters nationwide. The Muslim Brotherhood, established in Egypt nearly 100 years ago, operates as a broad Islamist movement with various branches around the world.
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