Florida law allowing FDLE head to declare certain groups as domestic terrorists draws backlash from CAIR

CAIR responds to Florida domestic terrorism bill

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is organizing opposition to a Florida law Gov. DeSantis just signed that allows the state to declare certain groups as domestic terrorists. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Council on American Islamic Relations spoke out Tuesday against a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this week that allows the state to declare certain groups as domestic terrorists. 

They were not alone, as CAIR was joined by five other religious and political organizations, including the Allendale United Methodist Church, Florida for All, the National Lawyers Guild and the Progressive Jewish Coalition.

CAIR says the bill only serves as a vehicle for the people in charge of Florida to punish those who dissent.

Organizers say that House Bill 1471 is an attempt to police speech, more than it is to patrol for terrorism. 

What they're saying:

The groups argue that the federal government should be responsible for that, and that the proposed system, which shields public records, is a recipe for disaster.

"Our courts already do not allow any foreign law to supersede the constitution of the land," said Hiba Rahim of CAIR. "That protection is already there, my brothers and sisters. And no Muslim from the people to the pulpit, advocates bringing Sharia to America. So why do they focus on that? Because it's a distraction. What this actually is, is an anti-free speech law. It's an anti-due process law. It's an anti-first amendment law."

CAIR Florida

They expect college groups to be targeted after the governor signed the bill at USF, the same place where an out of control rally led to several students being expelled.

They also say a ban on Sharia Law is pointless and is simply being used to rile people up, which the governor rejected.

"FDLE is going to do what intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been doing at the federal level for many decades in this country," said Gov. DeSantis (R-Florida). "This is not just flying off the seat of your pants. This is something where we want to make sure that we do not have particularly state resources flowing to groups that are appendages of these designated terrorist organizations."

The backstory:

The governor argues that the protests at USF from 2024 show how college campuses can be overtaken by radical thought.

He has already tried to declare two groups as terror groups, CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood.

A judge blocked him from declaring CAIR as that type of group, and they say they do not expect to be classified as such.

What's next:

The governor says that the process is underway to determine which groups fit the criteria to be labeled as a terrorist organization.