The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to sign Assembly Bill (AB) 715 (Zbur & Addis), calling it a classroom censorship law that shields a foreign government—Israel—from legitimate discussion of its genocide in Gaza and aligns California with the Trump administration’s campaign against free speech and academic freedom.
The organization warned the law will chill instruction, politicize complaints against educators, and blur the line between religion and political ideology in California classrooms.
In Sept., CAIR-CA and more than 120 mosques, Islamic centers, and Muslim community organizations urged a veto in a joint open letter on behalf of California’s one million Muslims. Educators, parents, and civil rights advocates opposed AB 715 by an eight-to-one margin, and every major statewide education association—including the California Teachers Association, California Faculty Association, California School Boards Association, and California County Superintendents—registered opposition. Despite this widespread condemnation and bipartisan abstentions in both chambers, Governor Newsom signed AB 715 into law.
AB 715 extends a broader federal censorship campaign into California K–12 schools. The Trump administration has repeatedly weaponized false allegations of antisemitism to chill speech on college campuses—launching systemwide probes, including at the California State University system, threatening institutions that allow anti-genocide protests and targeting students and faculty who criticize the Israeli government’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. AB 715 imports that same machinery into California public schools by enshrining vague speech rules, pressuring educators, and deterring honest lessons about Palestine, Islamophobia, and human rights.
Among its most harmful effects, the new law will:
- Chill classroom instruction by pressuring teachers to avoid discussion of Palestine, Islamophobia, and other contested topics.
- Shield Israeli government policies from scrutiny in public schools by relying on the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism—criticized for conflating criticism of Israeli government policies with hatred of Jewish people and for being used to silence debate about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
- Invite politicized complaints through vague bans on “advocacy” and “personal opinion,” paired with mandatory investigations and immediate removalof contested instructional materials.
In a statement, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
“Let’s be clear: AB 715 is not about protecting students from hate—it’s about shielding a foreign government engaged in genocide from being discussed honestly in our classrooms. This is the same censorship playbook used by the Trump administration: weaponize vague standards, target teachers, and erase Palestinian history and human rights from curricula. Californians asked for honest, inclusive education. Instead, this law invites investigations into good-faith teaching, undermines ethnic studies, and punishes educators for engaging in real-world issues. California’s classrooms should expand understanding—not police it.”
CAIR-CA Legislative & Government Affairs Director Oussama Mokeddem added:
“Our job now is accountability: we will track complaints, defend any educator or student targeted for honest teaching, and press districts to adopt safeguards—no IHRA misuse, evidence-based complaints, and protection for ethnic studies. If this law is used to censor, we will challenge it—through policy, oversight, and in court.”
CAIR-CA urges all educators, parents, and community members to report any instance of censorship, retaliatory action, or misuse of AB 715’s provisions to its Civil Rights Department. The organization remains committed to defending civil rights and ensuring that all California students receive an equitable and inclusive education free from politically motivated intimidation.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Greater Los Angeles Area Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, 714.851.4851, eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Director Zaid Hisham, 916.441.6269, zhisham@cair.com; CAIR San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam, 760.201.7626, tnizam@cair.com; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, ladam@cair.com