Overview
- Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation labeled CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist and transnational criminal organizations under a new Texas statute that blocks designated groups from buying land.
- Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to begin criminal investigations tied to the designation, with his office citing concerns such as attempts to impose Sharia law.
- CAIR sued in federal court, arguing the order violates First Amendment and due-process rights and is preempted by federal authority over terrorism designations.
- A coalition of Muslim and interfaith leaders in North Texas called the proclamation defamatory and dangerous and urged the governor to rescind it.
- Texas’s designation carries no federal Foreign Terrorist Organization consequences, and the lawsuit’s outcome will determine whether the state order stands.