Order Jamie Glazov’s new book, ‘United in Hate: The Left’s Romance with Tyranny, Terror, and Hamas’: HERE.
At the end of this month, the City of Coral Springs is scheduled to host the 2026 Florida Muslim Conference at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, a government-owned, taxpayer-funded facility. The event is organized by the South Florida Muslim Federation (SFMF), an umbrella organization representing a network of radical South Florida Muslim institutions.
Despite growing concern, city officials have indicated they intend to proceed with the conference. However, the State of Florida has warned the city to stand down, citing SFMF’s deep and longstanding ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group recently designated a terrorist organization by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
After this author communicated directly with the Governor’s office and provided documentation outlining the Florida Muslim Conference’s relationship to CAIR, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier publicly warned the City of Coral Springs against moving forward. In a statement posted on X, Uthmeier wrote: “Coral Springs should remember that state and local resources cannot be used by any organization affiliated with CAIR, which is a designated terrorist organization. The city commission is on notice.”
Just days before the scheduled event, SFMF issued a brief statement to the media claiming it was “disassociating” from CAIR. The timing raises an obvious question: How does an organization sever ties it has maintained for nearly a decade – on the eve of state intervention?
SFMF and CAIR: A Structural and Ongoing Relationship
The Attorney General’s warning was not issued lightly. The relationship between SFMF and CAIR is neither incidental nor superficial. Indeed, CAIR has been formally listed as a member organization of the South Florida Muslim Federation since the Federation’s inception.
Furthermore, the leadership overlap between the two organizations is significant. SFMF was created, in large part, by senior CAIR officials and shaped from its inception by individuals deeply embedded in CAIR’s mission, ideology, and operational network.
CAIR Leadership at the Core of SFMF
Nezar Hamze, CAIR-Florida’s former Executive Director, also served as the founding Executive Director of SFMF. In his opening remarks, Hamze explicitly framed CAIR as the model for SFMF, describing it as the blueprint for how Muslim organizations should “join forces” under Islam. He stated that he would be “living and breathing the spirit of unification” that defined CAIR-Florida, praising CAIR as a “juggernaut” and crediting its success to faith and unity – principles he made clear would guide SFMF moving forward.
Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, CAIR-Florida’s Media & Outreach Director and the organization’s highest-ranking official in South Florida, has also played a central role in SFMF since its beginning. Ruiz – whose image currently adorns SFMF’s website homepage – served on SFMF’s Board of Directors, sat on its Executive Committee as Public Relations Director, and participated on its Outreach Committee. At SFMF’s 2026 General Body Meeting last November, Ruiz played a key role in the selection of SFMF’s new president, Tarek Chebbi.
Terrorist Associations and Antisemitism
In May 2022, SFMF co-sponsored an anti-Israel rally alongside CAIR and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Wilfredo Ruiz actively participated by assisting with video production. Footage from the event shows participants wearing terrorist imagery, including apparel depicting armed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist Leila Khaled, and contains shouts of “Death to Israel.” SFMF’s then-president, Samir Kakli, is seen donning a keffiyeh while chanting loudly, “This occupation has got to go.”
Prior to joining CAIR and SFMF, Ruiz served as legal advisor for the American Muslim Association of North America (AMANA), an organization condemned by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for posting on its website “venomous” antisemitic content. The founder and President of AMANA, Sofian Zakkout, has used his social media to promote Hamas and Holocaust denial. Zakkout has referred to Jews as “the grandsons of monkeys and pigs.” Ruiz himself has authored an article – in Spanish – vilifying the Jewish religion.
SFMF Cannot Credibly Disassociate from CAIR
In response to mounting scrutiny, SFMF claims it is disassociating from CAIR-Florida. As purported proof, the group removed CAIR-Florida’s name from its member list (though, as of this writing, the CAIR national logo remains prominently displayed on that same membership page).
Given SFMF’s origins, leadership overlap, and years of coordinated activity with CAIR, any claimed disassociation is neither credible nor verifiable. Cosmetic website edits do not erase nearly a decade of documented affiliation.
Florida Muslim Conference: A Pattern of Extremism
CAIR is not the only concern regarding the Florida Muslim Conference. The conference has repeatedly advertised speakers who glorified Hamas following the October 7 massacre in Israel – the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
The conference has also permitted the sale of merchandise bearing images of terrorists, including Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas mastermind behind the October 7 attacks. An unrelated event – held in Brooklyn, New York and sponsored by the Muslim American Society (MAS) – is currently under investigation for selling similar terror-related merchandise.
Florida Muslim Conference sponsors raise additional alarm. Islamic Relief, SFMF’s “Platinum” sponsor, has been banned by multiple countries and labeled a Hamas front by Israel. SFMF “Gold” sponsor Baitulmaal is led by Mazen Mokhtar, an individual linked to a now-defunct al-Qaeda recruitment and financing website. Mokhtar has publicly described Hamas operations as “heroic” and referred to suicide bombings as “an effective method of attacking the enemy.”
These are not isolated incidents. They represent a consistent and troubling pattern of extremist normalization.
Should Taxpayers Pay for Terror?
When Governor DeSantis designated CAIR a terrorist organization, it was for good reason. CAIR was founded in 1994 as part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, an entity created to support Hamas politically and financially. While CAIR presents itself as a conventional civil rights organization, the historical record reflects persistent ideological, financial, and operational overlaps with Hamas-linked networks.
Given these facts, the position of Governor DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier is clear: Taxpayer resources cannot be used to host or facilitate events affiliated with CAIR. Because SFMF has been demonstrably affiliated with CAIR through leadership, structure, and coordinated activism, the Florida Muslim Conference cannot lawfully – or ethically – be held at a city-owned venue.
Coral Springs now faces a clear choice: heed the warning of the state’s top legal authorities or risk violating state policy. The facts are documented. The affiliations are real. The responsibility rests with the City Commission.
Public resources should never be used to legitimize terror – or those who excuse it.
Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report.
