Chicago – November 26, 2025
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s move to label CAIR a foreign terrorist organization sparks legal and constitutional questions, raising concerns among Muslim Texans about free speech, discrimination, and increased threats amid ongoing state investigations.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has launched a campaign against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), declaring the Muslim civil rights organization a foreign terrorist organization. What’s unclear is whether that will hold up under a legal challenge from CAIR, either with respect to federal law or even Texas’ own statutes.
Syed al-Ferdous immigrated to the Houston area from Bangladesh more than 20 years ago. He now attends services at the Maryam Islamic Center in Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, every evening. He said Abbott’s calling CAIR a terrorist organization shows a lack of education about Islam.
“I think it’s very juvenile to say the least,” al-Ferdous said. “It’s very immature, and it just doesn’t hold any water whatsoever.”
Last week, Abbott invoked a 2023 Texas law to brand CAIR a foreign terrorist organization and a transnational criminal organization. He accused CAIR of trying to “forcibly impose Sharia law,” and he followed up by ordering the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch criminal investigations of the group. At the same time, Abbott also applied the designation to the foreign-based Muslim Brotherhood.
Williams is also concerned that Abbott is simply using the law to silence a group he doesn’t like, in violation of the First Amendment.
“If the governor is allowed to proceed against this organization, there’s a possibility that the governor could also proceed against other organizations with which the governor does not approve,” Williams said, “and so that should be a concern to Texans.”
Abbott has been targeting Muslim organizations in Texas for months. Earlier this year, he sued to stop the construction of EPIC City, a proposed Muslim housing development in the Dallas area, accusing it of trying to impose Sharia law. Several investigations are still ongoing. CAIR itself has said that Muslims may look to Sharia law for personal religious practice, but Sharia does not override U.S. or state law.
Mitchell says Abbott’s actions are increasing the risk of violence against CAIR’s employees and Texas Muslims in general.
