Texas: Governor Abbott designates CAIR, one of the largest Muslim civil rights organizations in the United States, as a “terrorist organization”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott sparked controversy by declaring the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – one of the largest Muslim civil rights organizations in the United States – a “foreign terrorist organization” and a “transnational criminal organization.” This designation, completely devoid of legal value at the federal level, would allow, according to Greg Abbott, to attempt to close the group and prevent it from acquiring land in Texas. He also included in his statement the Muslim Brotherhood, also not classified as a terrorist organization by Washington.

CAIR immediately denounced a political maneuver. In a letter to the governor, Robert S. McCaw, the group’s director of government affairs, says Abbott is fueling “anti-Muslim hysteria” and has no authority to designate U.S. organizations as terrorists.

This decision comes in a tense climate: for several months, Texan Republican officials have opposed a residential community project linked to the East Plano Islamic Center, near Dallas. They accuse the Islamic center of wanting to create a neighborhood reserved for Muslims and imposing Islamic law there — allegations deemed “dangerous and unfounded” by EPIC City officials. The Department of Justice also closed its investigation without bringing any charges.

Greg Abbott justifies his approach by relying on a recent law restricting the purchase of land by “foreign adversaries”. For his Republican supporters, this proclamation confirms the usefulness of the text. The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt nearly a century ago, claims to have renounced violence and pursues its goals through political means. It nevertheless remains perceived as a threat by several Middle Eastern regimes.