FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2026
Contact: Alyvia Bailey
alyvia@johnjamesmi.com
JOHN JAMES PLEDGES TO DECLARE CAIR A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
James vows zero tolerance for extremism in Michigan
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI — The Council on Arab-Islamic Relations of Michigan on Thursday condemned Rep. John James after he spoke about the growing problem of Islamist extremism in a Newsmax Interview with Rob Finnerty on June 29th.
Instead of condemning the terrorists and extremists James spent his military career fighting, CAIR chose to attack the combat veteran who fought them.
CAIR is a radical extremist group. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR a terrorist organization in November, and just this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis likewise declared his intent to designate CAIR as a terrorist organization. When John James is governor, he will do the same.
In a video attacking James, the CAIR twice questioned James’ military service by saying that he “claimed” to fight extremists in Iraq. This is not a claim; this is fact. John James is a Ranger-qualified Army combat veteran and Apache helicopter pilot who fought sectarian terrorists responsible for murdering Americans and innocent civilians during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“I didn’t go and fight extremists abroad to have them on our doorstep. Under no circumstances will we allow Michigan to be a home for extremism,” said James. “I will be governor for all 10 million Michiganders regardless of race, color or creed. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, I will fiercely defend your religious liberty and the right of every Michigander to peacefully practice their faith or not to practice at all. As Governor, I will not tolerate extremists who threaten our way of life. If you come to America, you must obey our laws, you must assimilate into our culture, you must embrace the Constitution and you must pledge allegiance to the United States of America; or you will go home.”
— John James
About CAIR:
- Federal prosecutors named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal terrorism financing trial.
- CAIR was founded as part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s U.S. infrastructure to support Hamas.
- The FBI suspended formal contact with CAIR in 2008, citing evidence of relationship with Hamas.
James’ concerns are rooted in reality, not rhetoric.
Over the past two years, Michigan has witnessed multiple alleged Islamist terrorist plots and attacks, including:
March 2026 Temple Israel synagogue attack: Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen, rammed his truck into the West Bloomfield synagogue — which had preschool kids inside — then opened fire before being killed by security. The FBI classified it as a Hezbollah-inspired terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community.
May 2025 military base plot: Former Michigan National Guard member Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was arrested for planning a mass shooting at a U.S. Army base in Warren on behalf of ISIS. He supplied ammo, scouted with a drone, and trained undercover agents he thought were accomplices.
October 2025 LGBTQ bars plot: Two Metro Detroit men, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, along with others, were charged with planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale over Halloween. They scouted locations, stockpiled weapons, and trained at gun ranges before the FBI stopped it.
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