Muslim rights group sues Florida Gov. DeSantis over ‘foreign terrorist’ label

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A leading Muslim civil rights group in the U.S. has sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his order designating it and another organization as a “ foreign terrorist organization,” saying the directive was unconstitutional.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, has more than 20 chapters across the United States and its work involves legal actions, advocacy and education outreach.

The lawsuit was filed late Monday by the CAIR-Foundation and CAIR-Florida, its affiliate in the state. The suit asked a federal judge in Tallahassee to declare DeSantis’ order unlawful and unconstitutional and prevent it from being enforced.

“He has usurped the exclusive authority of the federal government to identify and designate terrorist organizations by baselessly declaring CAIR a terrorist organization,” the lawsuit says.

DeSantis’ order was among a series of recent actions or statements made by Republican elected officials which target U.S. Muslims or their groups.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on Sunday posted on social media that “Islam is not a religion. It’s a cult.”

A day later, CAIR designated Tuberville, who is running for Alabama governor, as an anti-Muslim extremist for his “increasingly hateful and dangerous attacks on Alabama Muslims.” The group said it was the first time it had given a U.S. senator that designation. Tuberville responded on social media that it was a “badge of honor.” When asked Tuesday about his statements, Tuberville spokesman Mallory Jaspers repeated what Tuberville had said.

U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., also posted Monday on social media about his support for “a Muslim travel ban, radical deportations of all mainstream Muslim legal and illegal immigrants, and citizenship revocations wherever possible.”

“Mainstream Muslims have declared war on us. The least we can do is kick them the hell out of America,” Fine wrote.

Anti-Muslim bias has persisted in different forms since Sept. 11, 2001, and there’s been a rise in Islamophobia during more than two years of war in Gaza.

During a news conference about the Florida lawsuit, Charles Swift, a lawyer for the Muslim Legal Fund of America, called the elected officials’ statements dangerous and bigoted.

“The Constitution protects people’s rights to be bigoted, not the government’s rights,” said Swift, whose group is one of the legal organizations representing CAIR. “When a governor issues an executive order to silence Muslims, that’s a different question altogether because if you can do that, you can silence anyone.”

CAIR said in the Florida lawsuit that it has always condemned terrorism and violence. The lawsuit alleges DeSantis targeted the group for defending the free speech rights of people in cases where state officials and officials elsewhere tried to punish or silence those who expressed support for Palestinian human rights.

The order by DeSantis last week also gives the same “foreign terrorist” label to the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Arab Islamist political movement. President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order that sets in motion a process to designate certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

The governor’s order instructs Florida agencies to prevent the two groups and those who have provided them material support from receiving contracts, employment and funds from a state executive or cabinet agency.

Florida has an estimated 500,000 Muslim residents, according to CAIR.

When reached by email for comment on Tuesday, the governor’s press secretary, Molly Best, referred to DeSantis’ recent social media posts on the topic in which he said he looked forward to a trial. In one post, DeSantis said, “I look forward to discovery — especially the CAIR finances. Should be illuminating!”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a similar proclamation in Texas. CAIR last month asked a federal judge to strike down Abbott’s proclamation, saying in a lawsuit that it was “not only contrary to the United States Constitution, but finds no support in any Texas law.”

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Associated Press writers Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.

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