Judge blocks Florida governor from labelling Cair a terrorist organisation
A federal judge has decided that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cannot unilaterally designate the largest Muslim-American civil rights organisation as a "terrorist" group because it infringes on First Amendment rights.
The temporary injunction on Wednesday blocks DeSantis's executive order signed in December, designating the Council on American Islamic Relations (Cair) as a terrorist organisation, and opening up a potential pathway for state prosecutions of anyone believed to be supporting them.
“The question before this Court is whether the Governor can, in a non-emergency situation, unilaterally designate one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in America as a ‘terrorist organization’ and withhold government benefits from anyone providing material support or resources to the group,” judge Mark Walker wrote in his order.
“This Court finds he cannot.”
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He said his decision is based on DeSantis's "coercion of third parties to cut ties with Plaintiff" because Cair had lost contracts with Florida companies while other advocacy groups severed ties with them.
Cair hailed the judge's decision as a victory.
“Amid widespread attempts by politicians to undermine our democracy, including attacks on free speech, religious freedom, immigrant rights, and due process, this federal court ruling serves as a reminder that the Constitution still matters," Cair's national executive director, Nihad Awad, said in a statement.
Cair's lawsuit was led by The Southern Poverty Law Center, Akeel & Valentine, Cair Legal Defense Fund, and the Muslim Legal Fund of America.
DeSantis's executive order followed a similar proclamation signed by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott in November.
Cair is a US-based non-profit organisation that advocates for civil liberties and relies on donations to carry out its work.
While the executive orders were in effect, Cair was prevented from buying land in Texas and from engaging in government contracts in Florida, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Cair's deputy director in Washington, DC, previously told Middle East Eye.
Both in Texas and in Florida, the Muslim Brotherhood was also labelled a terrorist organisation, despite it having no centralised headquarters or leadership.
Unlike in Cair's case, however, there is a terrorism designation at the federal level of Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, as ordered by President Donald Trump.
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