TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On Monday, in Tallahassee, members of the Council on American–Islamic Relations-Florida protested with signs and chants: “Faith is a right, not a threat.”
On Monday morning, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier used X to describe CAIR-Florida as “a designated foreign terrorist organization under state law” and warned it had “called for a presence around the Florida Capitol,” so he had “requested law enforcement to be on heightened alert for any possible security threats.”
In response, Hiba Rahim, CAIR-Florida’s deputy executive director, described Uthmeier’s allegations as offensive.
“We decided the most patriotic thing to do was to come, was to meet with our elected officials,” Rahim said.
Last week, CAIR announced the 2026 Muslim Day at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, which included meetings with lawmakers. They opposed Florida House Bill 1471 and Florida Senate Bill 1632, both related to the state’s chief of domestic security, possibly designating an organization as a foreign or domestic terrorist.
In December, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis designated CAIR Florida as a “terrorist organization” in an executive order that cited the organization “was founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.”
During a news conference, DeSantis said, “There is strong basis. A lot of it, it’s financial.”
In January, the U.S. Treasury announced actions against the partners of the Muslim Brotherhood chapters.
Lena Masri, CAIR’s litigation director, released a statement on Monday saying the organization looks forward to receiving payments from Laura Loomer, a far-right political activist who was a Republican Florida House 2021-2020 candidate.
In 2022, a federal appeals court affirmed a judgment on behalf of CAIR and its Florida chapter against Loomer and Illoominate Media for legal fees related to the parties’ dismissed lawsuit.
In 2023, as part of a settlement, CAIR “agreed to let Loomer pay a total of $73,500″ in monthly installments.
“We welcome this judicial ruling ordering Laura Loomer to complete her monthly payments to CAIR Legal Defense Fund and fully satisfy the attorney’s fees she owes us as a result of her failed lawsuit,” Masri said, according to the statement CAIR released on Monday. “Since Ms. Loomer began sending her payments to CAIR in 2023, our attorneys have used her funds to provide legal representation to the American Muslim community and advance free speech, religious freedom, and civil rights for everyone in our nation."
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