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Oklahoma Gov. Stitt ordered state probe of CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood over unsubstantiated terrorism ties; urged federal terrorist designation

On August 12, 2026, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 2026-29 directing the state Department of Public Safety and Office of Homeland Security to conduct an intelligence-based assessment of whether the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood pose terrorism threats in Oklahoma, and to advocate for federal designation of both as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. CAIR Oklahoma said the order relied on "debunked conspiracy theories," and University of Michigan political scientist Pauline Jones said no evidence ties CAIR to terrorism and called the order "political theater." Stitt is the third Republican governor in 2026 to order this kind of investigation into CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, following two earlier actions by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Jurisdiction
Oklahoma
Location
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Abuses documented

Actors

On August 12, 2026, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 2026-29, directing the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and its Office of Homeland Security to conduct an "intelligence-based assessment" of whether the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood pose terrorism or public-safety threats in Oklahoma. The order also directs state public-safety leaders to advocate for federal action designating both organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Stitt said the order builds on Oklahoma's existing obligations under the state's Homeland Security Act and Antiterrorism Act, and cited the federal government's designation of Hamas — which he said "emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood" — as a terrorist organization.

The order makes Oklahoma the third Republican-governed state in 2026 to target CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood this way. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a comparable executive order in December 2025 that a federal court blocked on First Amendment grounds, then achieved the same designation through state legislation (HB 1471) in July 2026. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott separately designated both groups and ordered an investigation, drawing a lawsuit from Texas CAIR.

CAIR Oklahoma called Stitt's order reliant on "debunked conspiracy theories." Pauline Jones, a University of Michigan political science professor and former chair of the university's Islamic Studies program, said there is no evidence tying CAIR to terrorism and described the order as "political theater" intended to stoke Islamophobia during an election year. She said CAIR is likely targeted because of its record advocating for the civil rights of Muslim Americans. Oklahoma Senate Democratic leader Julia Kirt criticized the order as issued without supporting proof, noting CAIR's work protecting Oklahoma Muslims from profiling and discrimination.

CAIR Oklahoma has previously won legal challenges against the state, including a successful suit striking down Oklahoma's anti-Sharia constitutional amendment and a case involving a mosque denial in Broken Arrow, which the organization's advocates say gives the new order the character of retaliation rather than a neutral threat assessment.

Why we recorded this

Equal protection and First Amendment freedom of association protect religious and civil-rights advocacy from state surveillance grounded in unsubstantiated claims. Gov. Stitt directed Oklahoma's homeland-security and public-safety agencies to investigate CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood for terrorism ties and to lobby for their federal designation as terrorist organizations, though no evidence links CAIR to terrorism and an outside scholar called the move "political theater." When a state deploys its intelligence and law-enforcement apparatus against a Muslim civil-rights organization on an unsubstantiated premise, it uses government power to stigmatize a religious minority rather than to address an actual security threat.

Sources

  1. Governor Stitt Launches Review of CAIR's Potential Ties to Muslim Brotherhood, Terrorist Networks — Office of the Governor of Oklahoma primary accessed August 18, 2026
  2. Investigation ordered by Oklahoma governor will demonize Muslim people, expert says — Oklahoma Voice secondary accessed August 18, 2026
  3. Third Republican governor calls for investigation into Muslim groups over terrorism concerns — The Epoch Times secondary accessed August 18, 2026

See also