The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, today condemned the Florida legislature’s passage of draconian and unconstitutional police state bills that are now heading to Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk for signature.
CAIR also condemned the insertion of “blatantly unconstitutional” provisions that purport to ban courts from ever upholding “sharia law,” even though courts can and sometimes must uphold last wills & testaments, burial instructions, private contracts, and arbitration decisions based on religious tradition.
The bills in question — HB 1471 and HB 1473 — would dramatically expand Florida’s unconstitutional domestic terrorism enforcement regime. According to published media reports, portions of these bills did not originate within the legislature but were drafted directly by the Governor’s office. These measures are designed to shield unconstitutional law enforcement activities from public oversight through sweeping new secrecy provisions.
The “police state” bills awaiting action by the Governor that pose equal danger to the freedom of speech include measures that CAIR-Florida argues are designed to stifle dissent and criminalize advocacy.
- HB 1471: Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations targets beliefs and “systems of law,” by linking them to “terrorism” allegations, even when no crime, federal designation, or conviction is present. This bill regulates vague concepts such as “ideologies,” “religious law,” and “foreign law,” policing beliefs over conduct. This expands government power to stigmatize lawful advocacy and undermines constitutional protections like religious freedom, free speech, due process, and equal protection, risking costly litigation for the state. Such ambiguity risks violating the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment, disproportionately impacting Muslim communities and civil rights nonprofits like CAIR-Florida.
- HB 1473: Public Records and Terrorist Organizations allows the government to expose individuals and organizations to public harm of a “terrorist” designation without proof of wrongdoing. Once released, the reputational damage and risk of safety cannot be undone. It results in donor, volunteer, and partner deterrence, preventing effective functioning of an institution. This weakens Florida’s transparency laws and allows the Chief of Domestic Security to operate with minimal public oversight, shielding secret “terrorist” designations from scrutiny. This bill creates detrimental constitutional and civil rights risks, especially for Muslim communities and civil rights organizations, which have already been publicly targeted without due process.
CAIR-Florida Interim Executive Director Hiba Rahim stated:
“The bills heading to Governor DeSantis for signature are dangerous and draconian pieces of legislation that risk turning Florida into a de facto police state. By empowering the Governor’s cabinet with new powers to designate his political opponents as terrorists without due process using secret evidence, these bills flout the basic notions of justice that all Americans expect from their government.
“A Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed that portions of these bills were written in part by the Governor’s office, which is no surprise given the inclusion of bigoted language in one of the bills that smears and targets the faith of Florida Muslims with hateful misinformation.
“CAIR-Florida is assessing the final versions of the bills and the problematic provisions they contain. We stand ready to work with our partners to defend the civil liberties of our community and our neighbors.”
The Governor is expected to sign these bills into law with an effective date of July 1.
CAIR-Florida’s mission is to protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and promote understanding through advocacy and education.
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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CONTACT: CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, (305) 502-6749, wruiz@cair.com;
Hiba Rahim, CAIR-Florida Interim Executive Director, (813) 705-5440, hrahim@cair.com