Largest US Muslim advocacy group suspends Florida operations over ‘terrorist’ designation law

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) – Muslim advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations has suspended operations in Florida after the enforcement of a law that gave state officials power to designate groups ‌as “terrorist organizations,” state officials and CAIR said.

Earlier this year, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law ​a measure giving him and other state officials the power to designate groups ‌as “terrorist organizations” and expel students who support them. Human rights groups say the law chills free speech.

A federal judge denied a request by CAIR to reverse Florida officials’ “terrorist” designation of the Muslim civil rights group. CAIR said it will appeal that ruling. 

The judge said that while Florida’s measure was “novel — and perhaps unprecedented,” CAIR did not show that the designation was a form of criminal punishment.

CAIR documents hate against Muslim Americans, and it blames the Republican-led federal crackdown on immigration and pro-Palestinian protests for a rise in Islamophobia. 

“We have suspended our operations in Florida because of Governor DeSantis and other state officials’ baseless and unconstitutional enforcement of the state’s unprecedented new ‘domestic terrorist organization’ laws against us,” a note on CAIR-Florida’s website said.

The ruling and CAIR’s resulting suspension of operations in Florida were celebrated by DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

“Good win,” DeSantis wrote on X.

US rights advocates have raised alarm against rhetoric and actions directed toward Muslims, especially from Republicans during the midterm elections campaign. The Republican Party ultimately lost its majorities in both houses of the US Congress and suffered setbacks in the vote.

The law signed by DeSantis in April empowered Florida’s chief of domestic security, governor and cabinet to designate any organization they determine engages in extremist acts as a “terrorist ​organization.”

After such a designation, the group can be forcibly dissolved and face a freeze on ​state funding, according to the legislation. It says students shall be expelled ⁠from their institution if they “promoted” a domestic or foreign “terrorist organization.”

PEN America and the American Civil Liberties Union condemned the law. PEN America said it “could chill free speech by placing unprecedented pressure on individuals to avoid speaking, organizing, or ​engaging with certain viewpoints.”

DeSantis called it a framework to ​combat extremism and have accountability in the education system.

Republican President Donald ​Trump’s administration and some ⁠Republican-governed states have cracked down against left-leaning organizations and pro-Palestinian groups that they cast as extremist, antisemitic and anti-American.

Those groups say the crackdown ​violates free speech and due process. They also say Republican officials conflate pro-Palestinian advocacy with support for extremism, and criticism of US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism.

Late last year, DeSantis signed an executive order designating CAIR as a “foreign terrorist organization.” A judge eventually blocked that order.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio)

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