OKLAHOMA CITY –Governor Kevin Stitt issued an executive order Wednesday requesting an investigation into the Center for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)’s what he calls “ties to Muslim Brotherhood, terrorist networks.”
EO 2026-29 references President Trump’s Executive Order 14362, issued Nov. 24, 2025, which initiated “a process by which certain chapters or other subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood shall be considered for designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.”
CAIR was founded in 1994 to, per the website, “advance American Muslim civil rights.” Stitt’s executive order states that CAIR was associated with “the Palestine Committee, an organization affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and created to support Hamas in the United States, expressly sought to ‘increase the financial and moral support for Hamas’ and oversaw front organizations designed to raise money for Hamas.”
Additionally, Stitt references the fact that the United Arab Emirates included CAIR on its list of designated terrorist organizations in 2014.
“The United States has already recognized Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and Hamas emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Governor Stitt. “Oklahoma will not turn a blind eye to organizations or networks that may support terrorism.”
EO-2026-29 includes three directives from Governor Stitt:
- The Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security (“OKOHS”) within the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) shall conduct an intelligence-based assessment to determine whether the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, or any affiliates, agents, or persons acting in concert with them, are engaged in conduct presenting a terroristic or public-safety threat in Oklahoma, and shall take all lawful preventative and investigative measures supported by the resulting intelligence.
- OKOHS and DPS shall advocate for the federal government to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as “foreign terrorist organizations” pursuant to 8 U.S.C., Section 1189.
- To protect Oklahomans and ensure the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are able to be kept, I highly encourage the Oklahoma Legislature to enact legislation declaring that the Muslim Brotherhood and any chapter or subdivision thereof, including CAIR, are Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Governor Greg Abbot of Texas issued a proclamation on Nov. 18, 2025, designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as both “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” and “Transnational Criminal Organizations.”
In Florida, Governor Ron Desantis issued EO-25-244, also referencing President Trump’s EO-14362, declaring “the Muslim Brotherhood and any chapter or subdivision thereof; the Council on American-Islamic Relations; and any other organization designated by the United States Government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U. S. C, § 1189) are hereby designated as terrorist organizations for the purpose of this Executive Order.”
U.S. Code Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part II states that the Secretary of State may designate an organization as a foreign terrorist organization in the event that he finds it fits three criteria:
(A) the organization is a foreign organization;
(B) the organization engages in terrorist activity (as defined in section 1182(a)(3)(B) of this title or terrorism (as defined in section 2656f(d)(2) of title 22), or retains the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism) 1; and
(C) the terrorist activity or terrorism of the organization threatens the security of United States nationals or the national security of the United States.
Florida HB 1471 and HB 1473 were signed into law by Desantis on April 6, and went into effect July 1.
HB 1471 states that the Florida Department of State can act against businesses and individuals tied to terrorist organizations, including “prohibiting students who promote domestic terrorist organizations or foreign terrorist organizations from being awarded certain public institution funds, etc.”
HB 1473 states that it, “Provides exemption from public records requirements for certain information relating to designation of organization as domestic terrorist organization or foreign terrorist organization by Chief of Domestic Security; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity.”
On Jan. 16, CAIR-Foundation, Inc. and CAIR-Florida, Inc., represented by the ACLU and the ACLU of Florida, SPLC, Akeel & Valentine, PLC, and Ali & Lockwood LLP, filed a “First Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief against Defendant Ronald DeSantis, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of Florida.”
On March 4, 2026, the United States District Court in the Northern District of Florida, in the Tallahassee Division, granted the motion for preliminary injunction, stating “The question before this Court is whether the Governor can, in a non-emergency situation, unilaterally designate one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in America as a “terrorist organization” and withhold government benefits from anyone providing material support or resources to the group. This Court finds he cannot.”
The legislation is ongoing, with the ACLU of Florida announcing July 14 that the state of Florida paused the designation of CAIR as a “terrorist organization.”
