CAIR Releases Analysis of Anti-Muslim Politics in Oklahoma

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has released a new analysis detailing a multi-front effort to push Oklahoma Muslims outside the circle of the state’s protected civic and religious life through legislation, through zoning, and through the investigative power of the state.
The report cites local and statewide governmental efforts to block construction of a proposed mosque in Broken Arrow, as well as state officials’ inflammatory rhetoric disparaging the Islamic faith.
Estimates based on a survey conducted by the Islamic Council of Oklahoma show that about 32,000 Muslims live in the state, served by around 15 mosques, with the community mostly concentrated in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.
A 2019 nationwide survey found roughly 28% of American Muslims identify as Black or African American.
CAIR’s analysis, titled “As a Dog Returns to its Vomit: Anti-Muslim Extremism in Oklahoma in 2026,” claims that “in recent months, powerful public officials across our nation tried to tell Americans that our freedoms come with their conditions. We must look, speak, think, and worship in their approved ways or we do not belong.”
The report claims that the effort “to deny First Amendment protected freedom of religion in Oklahoma included legislative action, zoning, and the investigative power of the state.”
“The First Amendment is not a privilege that government grants to Americans. It is a right that neither government nor public polling can touch,” reads the report. “Public disfavor of a minority faith is not a credible basis to mobilize the government’s investigatory power.”
Central to CAIR’s analysis is state Rep. Gabe Woolley’s (R-Broken Arrow) resurrection of an anti-Muslim extremist state constitutional amendment – which the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals had already ruled to be unconstitutional back in 2012.
As introduced, Woolley’s measure used the same name and substantially the same language as the previous measure.
CAIR also noted the level of organization against a proposed new mosque, distribution of fliers disparaging Islam to target a candidate for public office, and an investigation launched, not on credible evidence, but due to “substantial public concern” – a sentiment that is neither an indicator of wrongdoing nor an investigative lead.
In its analysis, CAIR notes that Oklahomans have practiced the Islamic faith for decades, at least back to 1977, and points to a free clinic and food pantry Muslim provide to their neighbors. The report cites a 1995 letter written by then-Governor Frank Keating thanking Muslims contributing to relief efforts in days after anti-government extremists bombed the Murrah Federal Building. Initial reporting inaccurately pointed to a possible Middle Eastern connection to the 1995 attack, which drove backlash against Arabs and Muslims around the country.
In March, CAIR released its 2026 Civil Rights Report “The Right to be Different,” which documents a pattern of public officials using their offices to narrow the definitions of what Americans can look like, say, or believe in 2025.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.