Texas Governor Abbott designates the Muslim organization CAIR as a ‘terrorist’ group.

Texas Governor Targets CAIR as Terrorist Organization

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has officially labeled the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the largest civil rights groups for Muslims in the country, as a foreign terrorist organization.

In a proclamation made on Tuesday, Abbott announced plans to pursue action against the Washington-based organization, claiming it has direct connections to Hamas. He stated that the Texas attorney general would file a lawsuit aimed at shutting it down.

The proclamation also implicates the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Sunni Islamist entity rooted in Egypt and associated with previous violent events.

Abbott remarked, “The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long expressed their intention to impose Sharia law and create Islamic ‘world hegemony.'”

He expressed that the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR’s efforts to support terrorism and undermine legal systems through violence and intimidation globally are intolerable. He added, “These extremists are not welcome in our state and are currently prohibited from acquiring property rights in Texas.”

However, there’s no concrete evidence that either CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood intends to impose Sharia law within the United States.

Neither group is recognized as a terrorist organization by the federal government. The Muslim Brotherhood has disavowed any previous violent acts related to its name, and it operates hospitals and schools throughout the Arab world, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

CAIR, active in the U.S. for nearly three decades, has consistently denied any affiliations with Hamas or other terrorist groups. Civil rights organizations have criticized Abbott’s declaration, deeming it “defamatory and lawless.”

The Texas chapter of CAIR stated, “We are not and will not be intimidated by the smear campaign led by Israel First’s Greg Abbott.”

They further asserted, “Abbott is maligning us and other American Muslims because we effectively advocate for justice both locally and globally.”

CAIR emphasized its commitment to exercising constitutional rights, defending civil liberties, and advocating for free speech and human rights, whether in Texas or abroad.

Abbott has frequently condemned CAIR for its strong opposition to the war in Gaza and for endorsing pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the U.S.

Recently, he raised alarm over Muslim elected officials, particularly following Zoran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York earlier this month. In a radio interview, he stated, “It’s a concern, especially with someone like Mamdani in office and the serious issues that could arise.”