New Florida law labels CAIR a terror group, alarming Bonita Springs Muslims

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — A new Florida state law is raising concerns among some members of the Muslim community in Southwest Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law, which took effect this week, designating more than 90 groups as terrorist organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also known as CAIR, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ayman Youssef, president of the Bonita Springs Islamic Center, said he was shocked to learn CAIR had been labeled a domestic terrorist organization.

"It's a big surprise. Why would he do that? Because CAIR of Florida protects Muslims and non-Muslims," Youssef said.

CAIR is a nonprofit and the largest Muslim civil liberties group in the U.S. Youssef said the law feels like a broad brush against an entire community.

"The one that bothers us the most is they always include all of us. From the day I came to this country, they always keep saying all Muslims, all Muslims, all of them," Youssef said.

DeSantis, however, says CAIR promotes terrorist ideologies and that the law is about drawing a clear line.

"We've got to draw a very strong line in the sand here. We've seen this creep into other parts of the country," DeSantis said.

The law also prohibits courts from applying religious law, with a specific focus on Sharia law. Critics say it violates rights to freedom of speech and due process. The law would also strip funding from schools and local governments with ties to the designated organizations.

"Let's just say you had a school with ties to CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood. Do you want Florida scholarship money going to those schools? Of course you wouldn't want that. That would be absolutely outrageous," DeSantis said.

Youssef, who has lived in the U.S. for 28 years, said he plans to keep practicing his faith and being a good neighbor. "This land is my land, man. I came here when I'm 15 years old. This is my land. I have a motherland where I come from, but America is the big mother, man. I call it the mother of the world, this, this land," Youssef said.

Other groups designated as terrorist organizations include Antifa and drug cartels.

The Florida Cabinet will still need to ratify all 90-plus organizations as terrorist organizations before the designations become official.