Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ignited a statewide and national firestorm on Tuesday after declaring one of the country’s most prominent Muslim civil rights groups a “foreign terrorist organization.”
According to The Associated Press, in a formal proclamation, Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations as both a “foreign terrorist organization” and a “transnational criminal organization.”
He also said the group would be barred from purchasing land in Texas. The proclamation extended to the Muslim Brotherhood as well.
No U.S. federal agency classifies either CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.
CAIR immediately pushed back, informing Abbott in a letter that his declaration had no grounding “in law or fact.” The group accused the governor’s office of fueling “anti-Muslim hysteria,” and insisted he exceeded his authority.
“You do not have the authority to unilaterally declare any Americans or American institutions terrorist groups, nor is there any basis to level this smear against our organization,” wrote Robert S. McCaw, CAIR’s government affairs director.
The dispute comes months after Texas Republicans sought to halt a Muslim-centered residential development near Dallas. Abbott and other GOP officials launched investigations into the project linked to the East Plano Islamic Center, alleging the community aimed to create a Muslim-only enclave that would impose Islamic law.
EPIC City representatives rejected the accusations as dangerous and unfounded. Earlier this year, the Justice Department closed a civil rights investigation into the development, taking no action and filing no charges.
In his proclamation, Abbott pointed to legislation he signed this year restricting “foreign adversaries” from buying or acquiring land in Texas. State Rep. Cole Hefner, the Republican who authored the bill, applauded Abbott’s move.
“Today proves exactly why that law was needed,” Hefner wrote on X.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt nearly 100 years ago, has grown into a global movement.
Its leaders maintain that the organization abandoned violence decades ago and now seeks political influence through elections and peaceful methods, though critics across the Middle East still view it as a destabilizing force.
Abbott’s declaration is expected to spark legal challenges.
