The Florida chapter and national office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that they have filed a public records request with the State of Florida seeking all communications between the office of Governor Ron DeSantis, Israeli government officials, and anti-Muslim hate groups, as well as any communications related to his “lawless and defamatory” attack on CAIR-Florida and the Florida Muslim community.
[NOTE TO MEDIA: Members of the press may request a copy of CAIR’s public records filing by contacting CAIR Communications Manager Ismail Allison at iallison@cair.com.]
In a statement, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw said:
“Ron DeSantis has a long history of close collaboration with anti-Muslim hate groups and Israeli government officials who have spent years trying to silence American Muslims who support Palestinian human rights. The people of Florida and the broader public have a right to know whether Governor DeSantis collaborated with a foreign government or hate groups to launch his unconstitutional and defamatory attack on CAIR-Florida and the broader Florida Muslim community.”
Scope of CAIR’s Public Records Request
CAIR’s request, submitted under Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, seeks all emails, text messages, encrypted messages, memoranda, call logs, calendar entries, meeting notes, drafts, and attachments from DeSantis and the Office of the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, from January 1, 2025, to the present relating to:
- Executive Order 25-244
- References to CAIR or CAIR-Florida
- References to Islam, Muslims, Sharia, or “Sharia law”
- The Governor’s claim of designating a “foreign terrorist organization”
The request requires searches of the Governor and senior members of his administration responsible for drafting, reviewing, or communicating about the executive order.
Communications With Outside Groups and Officials
CAIR is also seeking any communications between the DeSantis Administration and:
- A specific list of anti-Muslim advocates and hate groups
- A specific list of Israel First advocacy groups involved in campaigns against Muslim or Palestinian rights organizations
- Representatives or officials of the Government of Israel
Upon receipt of responsive records, CAIR plans to review the materials and release its findings to the public to ensure transparency around the motivations and influences behind Executive Order 25-244.
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CONTACT: Hiba Rahim, CAIR-Florida Deputy Executive Director, (813) 705-5440, hrahim@cair.com; CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, (305)502-6749, wruiz@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com