US Muslim rights group CAIR plans lawsuit against DeSantis for ‘terror’ designation

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced on Tuesday that it is in the process of filing a lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after he designated the group a "foreign terrorist" organisation the previous day. 

Speaking at a news conference in Tampa, Hiba Rahim, the deputy executive director of CAIR's Florida branch, said the group is "very proud to defend the founding principles of our Constitution, to defend free speech."  

She added: "We are proud to defend democracy, and we are proud to be America first."

Rahim attributed DeSantis' executive order to his strong support for Israel, claiming the group’s advocacy for Muslim and Palestinian rights had caused "discomfort" to Israel.  

She noted that DeSantis held his first official cabinet meeting as Florida governor in Israel, signalling his close ties to the country - as she also criticised the governor for failing to address the concerns of his Palestinian American constituents. 

In October, CAIR helped secure the release of 16-year-old Palestinian American Mohammed Ibrahim, a Florida high school student who spent over nine months in an Israeli prison - a case that drew attention from rights advocates who warned of systemic mistreatment of Palestinian children in Israeli detention. 

Upon announcing the lawsuit, Rahim emphasised that CAIR "will not back down here." 

Miranda Margolis, an attorney and member of the National Lawyers Guild, also addressed the news conference, arguing that the Florida governor lacked any legal authority to label a nonprofit organisation as a terrorist entity.  

"This designation is without legal or factual basis and constitutes a dangerous escalation of anti-Muslim political rhetoric," she said. 

DeSantis responded later that same day, doubling down on the designation and stating that he "welcome[s] the lawsuit." 

On Monday, CAIR condemned the order as unconstitutional and defamatory after the state alleged that the group has ties to Hamas.

CAIR, which is the largest Muslim American civil liberties organisation, denies any affiliation with Hamas. 

DeSantis’ order also designated the Muslim Brotherhood, a non-violent Islamist group founded in Egypt, as a foreign terrorist organisation. 

The directive instructs state agencies to ensure CAIR receives no contracts, employment or funding. 

Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a similar order targeting CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, which CAIR is contesting in federal court as an unconstitutional attempt to punish the group for its political views.  

The recent targeting of the organisation coincides with a broader rise in Islamophobia across the United States and mounting concerns that politicians - among them allies of US President Donald Trump - are amplifying anti-Muslim rhetoric.  

Trump himself has heightened this rhetoric, recently describing the largely Muslim Somali community in the United States as "garbage" and saying he does not want them in the country amid his administration’s ongoing crackdown.  

His remarks have fuelled fears within Minnesota’s Somali community in recent weeks, following his announcement that their Temporary Protected Status would be terminated.