A prominent Muslim advocacy organization known for pressuring universities to cancel speakers it finds objectionable is expressing concern that President Donald Trump poses a threat to “free speech” for those protesting against Israel.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) voiced strong objections on Wednesday to Trump’s executive order that mandates officials to scrutinize acts of “anti-Semitic harassment and violence” at college campuses. The move is part of Trump’s broader promise to deport foreign nationals on visas who endorse terrorist organizations or harbor “hostile attitudes toward” America, a campaign that CAIR has labeled “dishonest.”
“Like the college students who once protested segregation, the Vietnam War, and apartheid South Africa, the diverse collection of college students who protested against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza deserve our country’s thanks,” CAIR stated, placing these students as part of a noble tradition of protest.
They continued, “The Trump administration’s attempt to smear the many Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, and other college students who protested the Israeli government’s genocide in overwhelmingly peaceful ways represents a dishonest, overbroad, and unenforceable attack on both free speech and the humanity of Palestinians, all for the sake of a foreign government.”
The executive order, which was announced on Wednesday, is a response to anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses that, the order claims, have resulted in Jewish students being denied access to common areas, facing intimidation, harassment, and even physical threats. It requires federal agencies to prepare detailed reports of antisemitism and propose legal ways to address such incidents.
In tandem, another order signed by Trump on his inauguration day outlines that the U.S. government can revoke the visas of foreigners displaying “hostile attitudes” toward American ideals unless they firmly denounce or refuse to aid terrorist organizations. CAIR did not directly respond to requests from the Daily Caller News Foundation regarding their definition of free speech on college campuses.
Claiming to be “America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization,” CAIR actively combats “Islamophobia” by challenging events they consider harmful to the Muslim community, including at educational institutions. Recently, CAIR celebrated the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s decision to delay a talk by an Israeli military physician after their intense advocacy. This, according to CAIR, “led to over 6,000 emails delivered in a matter of hours to the University’s Surgery Department Chair and Dean urging them to rescind this speaker invitation.”
An advocacy group monitoring antisemitism and what they see as extreme leftist trends criticized CAIR’s conflicting stances and mispriorities. Gregory T. Angelo, President of the New Tolerance Campaign, remarked, “The very fact that CAIR frames the conflict in Gaza as a ‘genocide’ tells you everything you need to know about how they view the war and who they’re backing.”
Angelo further criticized their position in labeling pro-Hamas demonstrations as “mostly peaceful” that resulted in incidents like the harassment of Jews at Cooper Union in New York, pepper spraying at UCLA, and beatings at DePaul University in Chicago. “Instead of denouncing President Trump’s executive order, CAIR should be condemning anti-Jewish racism, vandalism, and violence,” he added.
The Trump administration’s attempt to smear the many Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian and other college students who protested the Israeli government’s genocide in overwhelmingly peaceful ways represents a dishonest, overbroad and unenforceable attack on both free speech and the… pic.twitter.com/U5P033m4Zx
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) January 30, 2025
In the past, CAIR has claimed success in efforts such as speaker cancellations and has filed lawsuits, including one against Arizona’s Maricopa County Community College District for a course they argued was unconstitutional, although courts ruled against them. Additionally, CAIR criticized Harvard University’s new standards for identifying antisemitism, asserting these measures threaten “academic freedoms.” The Justice Department has listed CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator involved in promoting Hamas’ agenda in the U.S., pursuant to evidence from a successful terror financing trial in 2007.