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From Florida.. A New Blow to the Muslim Brotherhood
The state of Florida has brought the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood back into the centre of global controversy, following a decisive decision against it, along with one of its branches there.
Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, on September 29th, designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), along with another organisation, as domestic terrorist groups.
More than 90 foreign terrorist organisations, federally designated as such, were also included on the same list.
According to the website (floridaphoenix), CAIR describes itself as the foremost civil rights organisation serving the Muslim community in the United States since its founding in 1994, and it has more than 25 chapters across the country, including in the cities of Tampa and Sunrise (in Broward County), while documented reports link it to being one of the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Under this decision, the council and the remaining organisations will be barred from receiving financial support from local governments and the state government, and scholarships for schools designated for them, from which they benefit financially, will be cancelled.
All those affiliated with it will face severe penalties, and all its activities in the state of Florida will be shut down.
Since January, the United States has designated three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, as terrorist groups, and two months later it also designated the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan as a terrorist organisation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis commented, in statements carried by the American website (wfla), on his state cabinet’s decision, saying: “If you look at some of these entities.. you will find that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was a co-conspirator without being formally charged in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history. And there are many financial channels that fuel these movements.”
He added: “We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can in Florida to put an end to that; and this has now become official.”
For his part, James Uthmeier, senior adviser to DeSantis, said: “Supporting these groups is a crime, and taxpayer money will not fund them.”
He continued: “Likewise, there will be no contracts and no foothold for them in our universities, and students who promote them will be expelled. The ‘Free State of Florida’ will not allow terrorism to be laundered through our educational institutions.. We will call these groups by their names, cut off their funding, and hold accountable those who support them financially.”
For its part, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Florida rejected the government’s measures, considering them a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Florida residents, and said the terrorism allegations are completely unfounded.
If the council fails to obtain a ruling from the federal courts, the decision will take effect on November 5th.
A Legal Dispute Ending in a “Ban”
DeSantis’s moves against CAIR were not new, as he had previously issued an executive order in December 2025 designating it as a terrorist organisation, but in response, CAIR’s Florida chapter challenged the decision and turned to the federal court, which issued a ruling suspending the implementation of the state’s decision.
Florida later returned to the issue through a different legislative path with the enforcement of the law (HB 1471) on July 1st, 2026, which created a statewide legal framework for designating organisations.
On September 29th, the Florida Cabinet approved the new designations, placing the council on the domestic terrorism lists, at a time when other moves against the decision have begun from human rights groups.
Renewed Suspicions of Corruption
Florida authorities based their placement of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on terrorism lists on a set of historical documents and records used to justify the administration’s position on the organisation and its alleged ties to networks linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
Among the most prominent elements raised was the listing of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy Land Foundation case, which was heard in U.S. courts beginning in 2007, in addition to allegations of historical links between some of the organisation’s founders and figures associated with Hamas.
According to the website (floridaphoenix), the state of Texas had designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a terrorist group on its state lists in 2025.
Globally, the United Arab Emirates has designated CAIR as a terrorist organisation since 2014, due to its direct link to the Muslim Brotherhood, which it also designates as a terrorist group.
