Florida has shuttered the Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration successfully classified the group as a terrorist organization, marking a dramatic escalation in the state’s crackdown on the controversial Muslim civil rights organization.
The group taped an orange closure notice to its doors Thursday, ending operations in Florida after a year-long legal battle. CAIR vowed to appeal but acknowledged the immediate impact of DeSantis’ executive order, first issued in December 2025 and later codified into state law.
DeSantis’ Legal Victory
DeSantis’ move followed similar actions by Texas and the United Arab Emirates, which had previously designated CAIR as a terrorist entity. The governor’s order cited alleged ties between CAIR and Hamas, as well as foreign funding from groups linked to Islamist movements.
CAIR sued Florida, arguing the designation violated free speech and due process protections, but federal courts ultimately dismissed the case. The state legislature then passed a law reinforcing the governor’s authority to make such designations, clearing the way for enforcement.
Controversial Ties and Funding
Testimony presented to the U.S. Senate in 2026 alleged CAIR was founded as a front group to shield Hamas-affiliated organizations from scrutiny. Documents from a 1993 Philadelphia meeting, later revealed in court, reportedly showed CAIR’s origins tied to leaders of the Islamic Association for Palestine and the Holy Land Foundation—the latter convicted of financing Hamas.
Further scrutiny emerged in 2026 when reports revealed CAIR received $7.7 million from the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) for a Washington, D.C. real estate project. Critics, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, allege ISDB has facilitated sanctions evasion for Iran and Hezbollah.
National Implications
DeSantis’ success in Florida may embolden other Republican-led states to take similar action against CAIR, which claims to be America’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had previously restricted CAIR’s property purchases in his state.
The closure represents a major setback for CAIR, which has long denied terrorism links and positioned itself as a mainstream advocate for Muslim Americans. The group’s executive director, Nihad Awad, was among the figures named in the 1993 meeting documents.
As legal appeals continue, the Florida case has reignited debates over where civil rights advocacy ends and national security concerns begin—a dividing line that increasingly falls along partisan fault lines.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/11/09/florida-offers-blueprint-for-other-states-to-shutter-islamist-terrorist-orgs-like-cair/