Florida Designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as Terrorist Organizations.

On December 9, 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations at the state level. Florida becomes the second state in the United States to take this step, following Texas in November 2025.

The decision is grounded in historical assessments and official reports documenting the Muslim Brotherhood’s aim of establishing an Islamic state and its alleged links to organizations like Hamas. CAIR, founded in 1994, has been cited in investigations regarding potential ties to Brotherhood-affiliated groups, although the organization denies these claims.

This designation restricts state contracts, funding, and employment opportunities from benefiting these entities, aligning with broader national security efforts. It also follows President Donald Trump’s executive order issued on November 4, 2025, to begin identifying Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations as foreign terrorist groups at the federal level.

The move by Florida reflects a growing trend among US states to review entities associated with political Islamist networks. Texas was the first state to enact a similar classification last month. Analysts note that these state-level actions reinforce long-standing international concerns about the Brotherhood’s global networks and financing channels.