Oklahoma – Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has ordered state public-safety officials to assess whether the Muslim Brotherhood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), or individuals and entities acting on their behalf present a terrorism or public-safety threat in Oklahoma.
Stitt issued the executive order directing the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security to conduct the assessment and take lawful preventive and investigative action based on the intelligence gathered.
“Oklahomans expect their government to take terrorism seriously and to act before threats become tragedies,” Stitt said. “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.”
Under the order, the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, which operates within the Department of Public Safety, will conduct an intelligence-based assessment of the organizations and any individuals or entities acting on their behalf.
The order also directs state public-safety leaders to advocate for federal action to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under federal law.
Stitt pointed to the federal designation of Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization while explaining the reasoning behind his action.
“The United States has already recognized Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and Hamas emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood,” Stitt said. “Oklahoma will not turn a blind eye to organizations or networks that may support terrorism.”
The governor’s order does not itself designate the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR as terrorist organizations. Instead, it directs state officials to investigate whether the organizations, or people and entities acting on their behalf, present threats that warrant further action.
The directive builds on Oklahoma’s existing legal framework for addressing terrorism and homeland security. According to the governor’s office, the Oklahoma Homeland Security Act and Oklahoma Antiterrorism Act assign the state responsibilities that include preventing terrorist acts, identifying potential threats and preparing for responses to terrorism-related incidents.
The order gives Oklahoma’s homeland-security and public-safety officials a mandate to examine available intelligence and determine whether additional preventive or investigative measures are warranted.
Stitt’s move comes as debates over the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have increasingly entered national political discussions, particularly among Republican officials who have argued that government agencies should more closely examine alleged connections between organizations and individuals and foreign terrorist groups.
CAIR, meanwhile, has previously rejected allegations that it supports terrorism and has described such accusations as politically motivated.
The executive order places the issue directly within Oklahoma’s state government, directing officials to evaluate potential threats and pursue lawful action rather than waiting for a specific incident to occur.
Stitt said his administration would continue using the authority available to the state to address potential threats to public safety.
The governor’s directive also calls for Oklahoma officials to encourage federal authorities to take further action regarding the organizations, putting the state behind a potential federal designation of the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR.
The assessment could lead to additional investigative or preventive measures if state officials determine that the intelligence supports such action. Any steps taken under the order would remain subject to existing state and federal law.
For Stitt, the order represents an effort to take a proactive approach to terrorism and homeland security, with the governor arguing that Oklahoma should identify potential threats before they develop into attacks or other tragedies.
