Republican lawmakers urge Trump administration to label CAIR as terrorist group
A group of House and Senate Republicans are pushing legislation that would ask the State Department to assess the Council on American-Islamic Relations for a foreign terrorist organization designation.
Republican legislators are seeking to have the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) classified as a foreign terrorist organization. Rep. Randy Fine (FL) introduced a bill that would require the State Department to determine if CAIR satisfies the legal standards for such a designation, repeating claims that the group was founded as an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and serves as a front for Hamas. Sen. Ted Cruz recently called for the same action, and both Texas and Florida have already labeled CAIR a terror group, a move the organization is challenging in court.
The legislation, backed by 16 Republican co-sponsors, has yet to receive a floor vote and lacks any Democratic backing. CAIR, a 501(c)(3) civil-rights organization founded in 1994, warned that an FTO label would strip its tax-exempt status and criminalize support for the group. The push reflects broader Republican efforts to target groups they view as linked to extremist movements.
Why it matters
A terrorist designation would dramatically affect CAIR's legal status, funding and ability to operate.
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