Florida aligns with federal policy: DeSantis designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorists

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Monday designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as "foreign terrorist organizations." The measure instructs all state agencies to "take all lawful measures to prevent illegal activities by these organizations."

The text released by the governor's office stresses that the prohibition also extends to any person or entity that provides material support to these groups. The order states that institutions in Florida must implement the restrictions immediately to prevent state resources from being used in activities that the government considers incompatible with the law.

"Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations. Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support," the governor said.

Connection to recent federal policy

The decision in Florida coincides with initiatives pushed from Washington. Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the secretary of State and the secretary of the Treasury to initiate a formal process to assess whether certain Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups should be classified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations(FTOs) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

The federal directive calls for both departments to prepare a report in coordination with the Attorney General's Office and the Directorate of National Intelligence, focusing on the role of organizations present in countries such as Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. The objective of the document is to determine whether these entities maintain links to violent activities that pose risks to the security of the United States or its allies.