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Far right Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cabinet have voted to designate the U.S.’s leading Muslim civil rights group as a “domestic terrorist organization,” threatening to shutter and impose severe penalties on the group and its state affiliate simply to serve the GOP’s political crusades, critics said.

The 427-page document recommending “terrorist” designations for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Florida chapter was approved over the course of just 30 seconds at DeSantis’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Contained within the approved packet, submitted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, were also recommendations for “antifa” and dozens of other groups already named as foreign terrorist organizations by the federal government to be listed as “terrorist” groups.

CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S. If these designations go into effect, CAIR and CAIR-Florida could be forced to shutter its work in the state.

Because of the broad design of the designation, those who associate with the group could also face harsh penalties. Universities would be mandated to expel students who “promote” the group. And, according to the ACLU, CAIR and CAIR-Florida would be barred from seeking legal representation........

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