CAIR denounces defamatory namecalling of racist Ron DeSantis

CAIR, CAIR-Florida Tell racist Ron DeSantis ‘See You in Court’ After Unconstitutional and Defamatory ‘Israel First Political Stunt’

The Florida chapter and national headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 plans to file a lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in response to his “defamatory and unconstitutional” order baselessly smearing the group as foreign terrorist organization.

In a joint statement, CAIR National and CAIR-Florida said:

“From the moment Ron DeSantis took office as Florida governor, he has prioritized serving the Israeli government over serving the people of Florida. He hosted his very first official cabinet meeting in Israel. He diverted millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to the Israeli government’s bonds. He threatened to shut down every Florida college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, only to back off when CAIR sued him in federal court.

“Like Greg Abbott in Texas, Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war crimes. Governor DeSantis knows full well that CAIR-Florida is an American civil rights organization that has spent decades advancing free speech, religious freedom, and justice for all, including for the Palestinian people. That’s precisely why Governor DeSantis is targeting our civil rights group with this unconstitutional and defamatory proclamation.

Racist xenophobic Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

“We look forward to defeating Governor DeSantis’ latest Israel First stunt in a court of law, where facts matter and conspiracy theories have no weight. In the meantime, we encourage all Floridians and all Americans to speak up against this latest attempt to shred the Constitution for the benefit of a foreign government.”

Last month, the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), the CAIR Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF) and Akeel & Valentine, PLC announced the filing a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to block enforcement of Abbott’s “unconstitutional and defamatory” Nov. 18th proclamation, which falsely declared the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations a “foreign terrorist organization” and threatened various civil penalties against the civil rights organization if it continues to serve the people of Texas.

CAIR Op-Ed: Abbott’s attacks on Muslims draw on an old religious bigotry playbook

Washington, D.C., based CAIR recently announced it filed an open records request with the State of Texas seeking any communications between Governor Greg Abbott and anti-Muslim extremists, anti-Palestinian lobby groups, and Israeli government officials, as well as any internal communications among Abbott’s staff about the Texas Muslims he has smeared and targeted in recent months.

BACKGROUNDER:

CAIR national statement that has appeared on ITS website since 2009: “We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by al-Qa’ida, the Real IRA, FARC, Hamas, ETA, or any other group designated by the U.S. Department of State as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.’”
A CAIR memorandum documenting its 30-year history condemning anti-Semitism and terrorism, including suicide bombings by Hamas, titled “A Principled and Consistent Force Against Antisemitism.” Click here to read.
CAIR National Board statement from 2023 that reaffirms its condemnation of attacks on civilians on Oct. 7th.
Op-ed published by CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in 2023 that affirms his agreement with CAIR’s stance. Click here to read.
CAIR statement on its website noting that the organization’s funding comes from the American people: “CAIR’s operational budget is overwhelmingly funded by donations from the American people. While most of those donations come from American Muslims, many of our donations come from the broader American public.
CAIR is happy to receive the support of every individual, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or another belief or way of life, who supports the organization’s mission of promoting justice and mutual understanding. In any given year, a small and negligible percentage of donations to CAIR comes from individuals who are not based in the United States. For example: in 2023, less than one percent of our donors were individuals based outside of America, most of them in Canada, and their contributions represented less than one percent of the total raised that year.”

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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