Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared the Council on American‑Islamic Relations a "foreign terrorist organization" and barred it from buying land in Texas, also naming the Muslim Brotherhood. CAIR called the move baseless and said Abbott lacks authority to unilaterally label American institutions as terrorists. The action follows a controversy over a Muslim‑centered planned community near Dallas and comes after the DOJ closed a related civil‑rights probe without charges. Abbott cited a new state law restricting land purchases by "foreign adversaries."
Texas Governor Declares CAIR a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization,' Prompting Legal and Political Clash
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared the Council on American‑Islamic Relations a "foreign terrorist organization" and barred it from buying land in Texas, also naming the Muslim Brotherhood. CAIR called the move baseless and said Abbott lacks authority to unilaterally label American institutions as terrorists. The action follows a controversy over a Muslim‑centered planned community near Dallas and comes after the DOJ closed a related civil‑rights probe without charges. Abbott cited a new state law restricting land purchases by "foreign adversaries."
11:18 AM, 11/19/2025Politics
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation this week declaring the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) a "foreign terrorist organization" and a "transnational criminal organization," and prohibiting the group from purchasing land in Texas. The proclamation also named the Muslim Brotherhood.
Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. CAIR responded to Abbott with a formal letter calling the proclamation baseless “in law or fact” and accusing his office of stoking "anti‑Muslim hysteria."
"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 move follows months of scrutiny by Texas Republicans of a planned Muslim‑centered residential development near Dallas tied to the East Plano Islamic Center, known as EPIC City. State officials said they were investigating whether organizers intended to create a Muslim‑exclusive community or impose Islamic law. EPIC City representatives rejected those claims as misleading and without merit. Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Justice closed a federal civil‑rights investigation into the project without filing charges or pursuing a lawsuit.
Abbott cited a state law he signed this year that he says prevents "foreign adversaries" from acquiring land in Texas. The law's Republican sponsor, state Rep. Cole Hefner, praised the governor's proclamation on social media, saying the action demonstrated why the legislation was necessary.
About the Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt nearly a century ago and now has affiliated movements worldwide. Its leaders say the organization renounced violence decades ago and seeks political change through elections and nonviolent means. Critics, including several authoritarian governments in the Middle East, view the group as a political threat.
This proclamation raises constitutional and legal questions about the authority of a state governor to label American organizations as terrorist entities and about the potential consequences for civil‑rights protections, property law and free association. CAIR has signaled it may pursue legal challenges to the declaration.