Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, citing the groups’ ties to terrorism.
The proclamation declares that the groups are now unable to buy or acquire land in Texas. The attorney general is also now authorized to shut down the groups’ operations within the state.
“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” Abbott said. “The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable.”
The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, once said, “Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded.” The group was created almost 100 years ago in Egypt.
The United States does not currently designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, however, Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia all have done so. Representative Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) introduced a bill in the House to give the group the designation on the federal level.
Further, the governor’s proclamation explains that Hamas is the Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas was responsible for the deaths of thousands during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The other organization named in the proclamation, CAIR, is the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the U.S.
“CAIR was named an ‘unindicted co-conspirator’ in one of the largest successful prosecutions of terrorism financing in United States history, where internal documents plainly identified CAIR as a subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood and a federal court found ‘ample evidence to establish’ that CAIR was associated ‘with Hamas,'” the proclamation reads.
“This is vindication,” Gregg Roman, director of the Middle East Forum, said. “For years, MEF has documented how CAIR—founded by convicted Hamas financier Ghassan Elashi, who is serving 65 years in federal prison—masquerades as a civil rights organization while maintaining its terror support infrastructure. Governor Abbott just shattered that facade with the force of law.”
MEF also uncovered CAIR’s attempt to funnel radical students into prominent positions, encouraging them to become lawyers and bureaucrats, and funding their educations via a project called the “Educational Pursuit Fund.”
Faizan Syed, executive director of CAIR’s Texas chapter, wants to invest in Muslim students who subscribe to CAIR’s ideology to be the “changemakers of tomorrow,” according to an MEF investigation.
“To train those Muslims of our community and our background, who are going to go into these fields, go into these positions of power and break the hold that Zionists hold on this country. It is a systematic approach. It is a long-term approach. But once it has been started there is no way to stop it,” Syed previously said.
CAIR, meanwhile, is threatening legal action against Abbott, and said the group “opposes all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and terrorism.”
“Although we are flattered by his obsession with our civil rights group, his defamatory proclamation has no basis in fact or law,” CAIR posted on X. “See you in court again, Greg…if you dare.”
Benjamin Baird, director of MEF Action, said CAIR undermines American security.
“CAIR has operated with impunity for far too long, hiding behind a veneer of civil rights activism while advancing the Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda,” Baird said. “This is a watershed moment that other states must follow.”
The designation is valid under the Texas Penal Code and Texas Property Code. It does not appear that either the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR currently holds any property in the state of Texas. However, the governor’s office did not respond to National Review‘s question regarding the potential land ownership by the time of publication.
“These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas,” Abbott said.