Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says 2 Islamic organizations are foreign terror groups
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday designated the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, which his office said authorizes “heightened enforcement” and bars them from purchasing land in the state.
In a statement, the governor accused the groups of wanting to “forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world.’”
CAIR called the proclamation “defamatory.”
This year, the Texas Legislature adopted two bills that make the designation significant. SB-17 bans transnational criminal organizations from purchasing and acquiring land, and HB-4211 bans residential property developments like EPIC City, a large community proposed by an Islamic group near Dallas.
“The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the global and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable,” Abbott said in a statement. “These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”
HB-4211 was in response to the East Plano Islamic Center announcing plans to for a 400-acre development in Collin and Hunt counties, near Josephine, that would have a school, housing development and other community spaces.
The development sparked controversy and led to investigations into the development. In September, the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division closed its fair housing investigation.
Abbott has said the issue is one of freedom of religion. “Bad actors like EPIC and EPIC City tried to use religion as a form of segregation. We will ensure that we have the laws and law enforcement in place to prevent attempts to build such discriminatory compounds in the state of Texas,” he said in September.
The Texas chapter and national chapter of CAIR, a civil rights organization, called the governor’s proclamation a smear campaign that is “defamatory and lawless.” The Texas chapter said it will continue its work in civil rights.
“In its response to Abbott’s proclamation, CAIR’s legal team is preparing to take appropriate action to address it,” CAIR said in a statement. “CAIR has also sent a letter to Abbott debunking his claims and detailing the Muslim civil rights organization’s three-decade record of both defending civil rights and condemning all forms of unjust violence, including terrorism.”
In the proclamation, Abbott claimed that members of CAIR have employed, affiliated with and supported individuals promoting terrorism-related activities and named eight people.
“Sadly, your office has spent months stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government,” Robert S. McCaw, director of government affairs, said in the letter to Abbott. “By defaming another prominent American Muslim Institution with debunked conspiracy theories and made-up quotes, you have once again shown your top priority is advancing anti-Muslim bigotry, not serving the people of Texas.”