The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday it will go to court to challenge an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis that designated the group as a “terrorist” organization.
“As you know, your designation has no basis in law or fact,” the group, commonly known as CAIR, said in a letter to DeSantis. “You do not have the constitutional authority to unilaterally declare any Americans or American institutions foreign terrorist groups, nor is there any basis to level this smear against our organization.”
The letter, signed by Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the organization’s national deputy director, described the executive order as “defamatory” and said, “We look forward to seeing you in a court of law, where facts and the law still matter. CAIR-Florida will in the meantime, God willing, continue serving the people of Florida, pursuing justice for all, and protecting the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech and religious freedom.”
The executive order, issued Monday, designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. During an appearance Tuesday at Florida International University, DeSantis said the Legislature is working on changes that would follow a Texas law about terrorist organizations. He called the Texas law “a little bit more robust” than what is on Florida’s books. “I think you’re going to see statutory codification of how we handle different terror designations,” DeSantis said. “But I welcome the lawsuit, because what will happen is that will give the state of Florida discovery rights to be able to subpoena (CAIR’s) bank records.”
In part, the executive order alleged that people associated with CAIR “have been convicted of providing, and conspiring to provide, material support to designated terrorist organizations.” But in the letter to DeSantis, CAIR said the “claim that CAIR supports terrorism is ludicrous and provably false.” It added that the “real reason anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian politicians obsessively target CAIR and other American Muslim institutions is because of our steadfast advocacy for Palestinian rights.”
–News Service of Florida
Pogo says
@As stated
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-exit-poll-of-muslim-voters-reveals-surge-in-support-for-jill-stein-and-donald-trump-steep-decline-for-harris/
CC: File
Lost in moderation
Deborah Coffey says
DeSantis is finished politically. He’d better start looking for a job.
Pogo says
@DC
Sen. Casey DeSantis’ husband will be right back — here on Pox & Friends.
No? With the Ellison dynasty’s blessing, he could anchor the CBS Evening News from its new Boise, Idaho World Headquarters.
Not to mention barber school, assistant manager at a shoe store, et cetera.
Pogo says
Your comment is awaiting moderation (in lost and not found)
@DC
Sen. Casey DeSantis’ husband will be right back — here on Pox & Friends.
No? With the Ellison dynasty’s blessing, he could anchor the CBS Evening News from its new Boise, Idaho World Headquarters.
Not to mention barber school, assistant manager at a shoe store, et cetera.
Deborah Hilyard says
Let’s hope so.
DeSantisRocks says
He will, he’s destined for the White House! He’d make a great VP for Vance or Rubio. Ron Rocks!
Al says
Is there any looney tunes group that liberals don’t cherish over Americans?
Bo Peep says
Libd better get their heads out of their behind. If you want to live in an Islamic state please go there instead of making one here.
Deborah Coffey says
No need. What you’ve got here is just as bad…White (fake) Christian Nationalists controlling the White House, the Supreme Court and the Congress! Otherwise known as Nazis. But, keep tempting us to leave instead of fixing it. You’ll be left with nothing.
Me says
Highly respect your comments, they are always right on telling it like it is.
DeSantisRocks says
Anyone I disagree with is an EVIL FASCIST NAZI HITLER SCUMBAG! ZOMGLOLWTFBBQ!
– The modern left
lol, it’s sad.
Sunny says
This sure is far from having freedom or truth! Getting worse daily!
Pogo says
Still “losing” comments — SMH.
TR says
If I’m understanding your comment correctly, then I agree. I was given a somewhat round about explanation as to why this was happening with some of my comments. But I know if I tell you what that explanation was, it would also be lost and not published. I’ll try to tell you with a clue. It has to due with what is happening every December with this site. Heck even that might get it blocked. Good luck.
Kennan says
You know what Al? You and little Bo Peep are a tarnished example of what happens to people who can’t, or won’t think for themselves.
The leader of the free world is a six year old with a GOD complex that emboldens the ugliness in Americans. Ugly Americans. Ugly Americans like you that stand for nothing, and fall for anything.
We here in the REAL WORLD will let your ignorance resonate.
Trickle Dumb Fuckanomics.
The dude says
Pretty sure there were very few (none) individuals representing these groups organizing bus rides to DC for the Jan 6 riots. I doubt they had any hand in erecting gallows out front of the capital that day as well…
Wish the same could be said about the MAGA morons here in Flagler.
Allyn Susan Feinsetin says
But they were all over the college and university encampments where Jewish students were routinely hassled and targeted.
Pierre Tristam says
While Palestinian rights protesters were dehumanized. The aberrations of a few don’t justify the delegitimization of an entire people at the receiving end of a genocide you and I are paying for—you happily of course.
Kennan says
Sorry, Feinstein,
We saw very different things. I don’t know where you get your talking points from, but if it’s Fox, CNN, and quite frankly many in the corporate media stratosphere
Then you have been duped.
Pierre put it very eloquently, but I will only add that you can’t forget about UCLA. We’re pro Israeli thugs were literally beating up protesters with pipes , two by fours and really anything they could get their hands on. Police were beating up professors.
PROFESSORS!!!!
Some of the things I was seeing were very reminiscent of Palestinians being thrown out of their homes in the West Bank by Israeli settlers.
An infinite amount of violence took place, particularly after October 7, and for that reason Jewish lobbies, Israel, the West, and western media were losing traction on the narrative they were trying to push.
With respect, madam. Everything you said was wrong.
Sherry says
@allyn. . . Are the thousands of murdered and starved people of Gaza not human enough for you? Ask yourself, do you consider them to be “inferior” to you? No need to reply, you have already made that quite clear.
Consider the possibility that you would have much more credibility if you managed to seek out and understand “BOTH” sides of the story. Just a little “empathy” would serve you well.
Allyn Susan Feinsetin says
The thousands of suffering Palestinians you speak of (and we will never know how many of those killed were really civilians since Hamas does not differentiate between civilian deaths and militant deaths and inflates the casualty numbers beyond that) have been suffering due to their elected government’s decision to attack Israel on October 7th, 2023–in the midst of an already existing ceasefire and on Jewish Holy Day which happened to fall on the Sabbath, no less.
The casualty count on both sides would be a lot lower if the Palestinians hadn’t taken hostages to use as human bargaining chips and held them captive for over two years—enslaving, abusing, starving and killing many of them in the process. Note that the Palestinians have not ceased mounting terror attacks against Israeli civilians in all this time–not even since the latest ceasefire has been in place.
The Palestinians wouldn’t be suffering as you describe if their own elected governments didn’t exploit them as Human Shields, Pallywood props and their auxiliary terrorist army.
You might want to check out how Hamas has been publicly torturing and slaughtering Gazans–a situation which has been met mostly with silence and a collective shrug by most of the ceaselessly Israel-bashing world.
Moral equivalency seems to lacking in those who expect different things from different groups of people while strangely patting themselves on their own backs for their presumed tolerance.
Pierre Tristam says
In essence, if Hamas militants gang-raped 30,000 children in Gaza, Ms Feinstein would blame the victims. Her moral compass, if she were to have one, would dissolve of its own sulfurous shame.
Sherry says
Thank you Pierre! You are most certainly right on!