Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed an executive order directing state authorities to investigate whether the Muslim Brotherhood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), or associated organizations present a terrorism threat.
“Oklahomans expect their government to take terrorism seriously and to act before threats become tragedies,” Stitt said in an Aug. 12 statement. “My administration will use every lawful tool available to protect our people, defend our values, and make sure taxpayer-funded state resources are never used to support terrorism or those who enable it.”
The executive order underscores Oklahoma’s existing responsibilities under the Oklahoma Homeland Security Act and the Oklahoma Antiterrorism Act, which require the state to prevent terrorist acts, identify threats, and prepare to respond.
Neither the statement nor the executive order addresses what prompted the timing of the order.
Stitt’s statement noted the federal government has designated Hamas, which emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“Oklahoma will not turn a blind eye to organizations or networks that may support terrorism,” he said.
The order falls short of following in the footsteps of governors in Texas and Florida, who designated both organizations as terrorist groups.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also called for an investigation into the groups after making the designation, which prompted a lawsuit from Texas CAIR.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s designation was blocked by a federal judge after CAIR filed a lawsuit.
Stitt’s order directs the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, within the state Department of Public Safety, to conduct an intelligence-based assessment and take lawful preventive and investigative action supported by the resulting assessment.
His order also directs state public-safety officials to advocate for federal action designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under federal law.
It referenced the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, noting that “Hamas murdered over 1,200 men, women, and children in Israel, including 46 Americans, and took 254 hostages, including 12 Americans.”
The order stated that organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas have operated in the United States and have raised funds to support Hamas’s terrorist attacks in the Middle East.
The federal government has not designated CAIR as a terrorist group. CAIR has repeatedly said it operates as a civil rights group and denies any ties to terrorism.
The Epoch Times reached out to CAIR in Oklahoma for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.
Oklahoma Democratic state Senate Leader Julia Kirt criticized Stitt’s executive order, saying it was issued without any supporting proof.
“What we do know is that CAIR works to protect the civil rights of Oklahoma Muslims in the face of ongoing profiling and discrimination,” she told Fox 25.
“This kind of fear mongering and scapegoating divides our communities and state, and doesn’t solve any real problems Oklahomans are facing. I’m deeply concerned this further increases the likelihood of hate crimes against our neighbors, which is already on the rise in this country.”
