The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today strongly condemned the recent proclamations by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott smearing CAIR as a “foreign terrorist organization,” calling it a “coordinated, unconstitutional, and defamatory attack.”
SEE: CAIR vows legal action as Florida follows Texas in targeting the organization
On Tuesday, Dec. 8, Gov. DeSantis issued an executive order baselessly and unlawfully declaring CAIR Florida as a terrorist organization; his proclamation follows a similar political move by Gov. Abbott late last month. Both actions are part of an Islamophobic smear campaign by Israel-first politicians and individuals in response to rising anti-genocide sentiment over the past two years and represent yet another attempt by elected officials to chill free speech and silence legitimate criticism of the state of Israel.
In response to the false claims, CAIR’s legal team announced it has filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and intends to file against Gov. DeSantis to block the enforcement of the proclamations.
CAIR also previously sent a letter to Gov. Abbott rebutting his false claims about CAIR and detailing the organization’s three-decade record of both defending civil rights in the U.S. and condemning all forms of unjust violence. The letter also cites numerous rulings and independent reports debunking efforts to smear CAIR.
In a statement, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
“These baseless proclamations by Governors DeSantis and Abbott are part of a coordinated, unconstitutional, and defamatory attack on not only CAIR as an organization, but on the entire American Muslim community. Under the Trump administration, we have seen a disturbing rise in politicians using their dangerous Israel-first ideology to silence legitimate criticism of a genocidal foreign government and trample on the constitutional rights of our communities. It sets a dangerous precedent for the government to use anti-Muslim bigotry to further an agenda that places foreign interests above the constitutional principles that American democracy is founded on.
“We stand firmly with CAIR Florida and CAIR Texas as they fight back against this baseless smear campaign and hold these governors accountable for their abuse of power, and we reaffirm our commitment to protecting the rights, freedom, and dignity of the American Muslim community.”
CAIR-CA emphasizes that CAIR and its local chapters are American nonprofit organizations that operate in full compliance with federal, state, and local laws and that Governors Abbott and DeSantis’ actions have no basis in law or fact.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance 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 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Director Zaid Hisham, (916) 441-6269 or zhisham@cair.com; CAIR San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam, (760) 201-7626 or tnizam@cair.com; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, (408) 498-5779 or ladam@cair.com