Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1209 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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12	12	House Resolution 1
13	13	A resolution to strongly encourage all executive 2
14	14	agencies of the State of Florida, all law enforcement 3
15	15	agencies, and all local governments in this state to 4
16	16	suspend contact and outreach activities with the 5
17	17	Council on American-Islamic Relations. 6
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19	19	WHEREAS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has suspended 8
20	20	all formal contacts with the Council on American -Islamic 9
21	21	Relations (CAIR) due to evidence demonstrating a relationship 10
22	22	between CAIR and Hamas, designated as a foreign terrorist 11
23	23	organization by the United States Department of State and the 12
24	24	monsters behind the brutal attack on the State of Israel on 13
25	25	October 7, 2023, indiscriminately raping, torturing, and kil ling 14
26	26	over 1,200 innocent persons, including Israelis, Americans, and 15
27	27	other nationals, among whom were babies and Holocaust survivors, 16
28	28	and taking 240 Israelis, Americans, and other civilians as 17
29	29	hostages, and 18
30	30	WHEREAS, since October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists and their 19
31	31	allies have launched over 11,500 rockets into southern and 20
32	32	central Israel, the sole goal of which was to kill Israeli 21
33	33	civilians and 22
34	34	WHEREAS, Hamas and Iranian leadership have called for the 23
35	35	extermination of Israelis, Americans, Jews, and Christ ians 24 
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46	46	around the world and the establishment of a global Islamic 25
47	47	caliphate, and 26
48	48	WHEREAS, the stated goal of Hamas and its allies is the 27
49	49	complete and total destruction of the State of Israel and the 28
50	50	Jewish people, and 29
51	51	WHEREAS, in the federal criminal prose cutions of persons 30
52	52	involved with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and 31
53	53	Development, the largest successful prosecution of terrorism 32
54	54	financing in our country's history, CAIR was identified as an 33
55	55	associate of the Muslim Brotherhood and was named an unindic ted 34
56	56	co-conspirator in the trial, and 35
57	57	WHEREAS, CAIR, soon after opening its first office in 36
58	58	Washington, D.C., received a grant from the Holy Land Foundation 37
59	59	for Relief and Development, a charitable organization that was 38
60	60	closed and was designated a Speciall y Designated Global 39
61	61	Terrorist by the United States Department of the Treasury for 40
62	62	funding jihadist terrorist organizations, and 41
63	63	WHEREAS, in 2009, Ghassan Elashi, who was a member of the 42
64	64	founding board of directors of the Texas branch of CAIR and a 43
65	65	leader of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, 44
66	66	was sentenced to a total of 65 years in prison after being 45
67	67	convicted of 10 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the 46
68	68	provision of, material support to a designated foreign terrorist 47
69	69	organization; 11 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the 48
70	70	provision of, funds, goods, and services to a Specially 49 
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81	81	Designated Terrorist as determined by the United States 50
82	82	Secretary of the Treasury; 10 counts of conspiracy to commit, 51
83	83	and the commission of, money laundering; 1 count of conspiracy 52
84	84	to impede and impair the Internal Revenue Service; and 2 counts 53
85	85	of filing a false tax return, and 54
86	86	WHEREAS, in October, 2000, at a large CAIR rally in 55
87	87	Washington DC, featured speaker Abdurahman Alamoudi, later a 56
88	88	convicted terrorist and Al Qaeda financier, publicly expressed 57
89	89	support for both Hamas and Hezbollah as the crowd cheered him 58
90	90	on, and 59
91	91	WHEREAS, Randall Todd Royer, also known as Ismail Royer, 60
92	92	who served as a communications specialist and civil rights 61
93	93	coordinator for CAIR and train ed with and set up an Internet -62
94	94	based newsletter for Lashkar -e-Taiba, an al Qaeda-tied Kashmir 63
95	95	organization that is listed on the United States Department of 64
96	96	State's international terror list, was also indicted on charges 65
97	97	of conspiring to help al Qaeda and the Taliban battle American 66
98	98	troops fighting in Afghanistan and was sentenced to 20 years in 67
99	99	prison on April 9, 2004, and 68
100	100	WHEREAS, in September 2003, CAIR's former community affairs 69
101	101	director, Bassem Khafagi, pleaded guilty to 3 federal counts of 70
102	102	bank and visa fraud, and agreed to be deported to Egypt after he 71
103	103	had funneled money to activities supporting terrorism and had 72
104	104	published material advocating suicide attacks against the United 73 
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115	115	States, illegal activities that took place while he was employed 74
116	116	by CAIR, and 75
117	117	WHEREAS, Rabih Haddad, the Ann Arbor, Michigan -based CAIR 76
118	118	fundraiser, was arrested on terrorism -related charges and was 77
119	119	deported from the United States due to his work as Executive 78
120	120	Director of the Global Relief Foundation, which in October 2002 79
121	121	was closed by the United States Department of the Treasury for 80
122	122	financing al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, and, 81
123	123	WHEREAS, in March 2011, Muthanna al -Hanooti, a director 82
124	124	within CAIR, was sentenced to a year in federal prison for 83
125	125	violating United States sanctions against Iraq under Saddam 84
126	126	Hussein, and 85
127	127	WHEREAS, United States ally, the United Arab Emirates, 86
128	128	officially designated CAIR as a terrorist organization in 2014, 87
129	129	and 88
130	130	WHEREAS, in 2014, CAIR honored convicted terrorist and 89
131	131	Palestinian Islamic Jihad f inancier Sami Al Arian and in 2020 90
132	132	CAIR-Florida featured Al Arian in its livestream interview 91
133	133	series. A former professor at the University of South Florida, 92
134	134	Al Arian was convicted in 2006 of providing material support for 93
135	135	a designated terrorist organizatio n, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, 94
136	136	and was deported after serving his prison sentence, and 95
137	137	WHEREAS, Zainab Chaudry, Executive Director of the Council 96
138	138	on American-Islamic Relations – Maryland Office, was suspended 97
139	139	from the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and 98 
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150	150	Prevention by Maryland's Attorney General on November 21, 2023, 99
151	151	following multiple social media posts, including one comparing 100
152	152	Israel to Nazi Germany with the comment, "That moment when you 101
153	153	become what you hated most," and 102
154	154	WHEREAS, On November 24, 2023, Speaking at the American 103
155	155	Muslims for Palestine convention in Chicago, CAIR Executive 104
156	156	Director Nihad Awad proclaimed: "The people of Gaza only decided 105
157	157	to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on 106
158	158	October 7. And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege 107
159	159	and throwing down the shackles of their own land, and walk free 108
160	160	into their land, which they were not allowed to walk in. And 109
161	161	yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self -defense, have the 110
162	162	right to defend themselves, and yes, Israel, as an occupying 111
163	163	power, does not have that right to self -defense," NOW, 112
164	164	THEREFORE, 113
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166	166	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of 115
167	167	Florida: 116
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169	169	That all executive agencies of the State of Florida, all 118
170	170	law enforcement agencies, and all local governments in this 119
171	171	state are strongly encouraged to suspend contact and outreach 120
172	172	activities with the Council on American -Islamic Relations. 121