The U.S. State Department has confirmed it does not consider two prominent Muslim American groups as terrorist organizations, after they turned up on a terror list issued by the United Arab Emirates.
A State Department spokesman Tuesday said officials are following up on the designation made Monday by the UAE.
The UAE named the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based group known as CAIR, as well as the Muslim American Society, on a list of more than 80 movements that also included al-Qaida, Islamic State, the Muslim Brotherhood and Boko Haram.
Their inclusion drew swift protests from the American groups. CAIR put out a statement that said it is seeking clarification on its "shocking and bizarre" inclusion on the list, while the Muslim American Society said it has "no dealings with the United Arab Emirates" and is "perplexed by this news."