The Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR has been designated a terrorist organization in Texas

TEXAS: In a highly unusual and politically charged move, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “terrorist” and “transnational criminal organizations,” effectively banning both groups and anyone associated with them from buying land in the state.

The statement came despite the fact that neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor CAIR appear on the United States government’s official list of terrorist organizations. CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, condemned Abbott’s action as baseless, unconstitutional and an open display of Islamophobia.

The group accused the governor of weaponizing conspiracy theories to target Muslim communities, warning that any attempt to formalize that declaration into policy would be met with a legal challenge.

Observers say the governor’s announcement cannot be separated from the controversy surrounding EPIC City, a proposed Muslim-dominated housing development near Dallas.

Abbott and other Republican officials had previously opposed the project, passing legislation against so-called “Sharia compounds,” despite the absence of any evidence that the development sought to enforce Islamic law or operate outside of state regulations. Federal civil rights investigators also closed their investigation into the project without filing charges.

Critics argue that CAIR’s connection to the Muslim Brotherhood revives a long-discredited narrative used to undermine the institutions of the Muslim community and limit their right to organize or own collective property.

Republican state representative Cole Hefner welcomed Abbott’s decision, calling it necessary “to keep the state safe.” But Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani, one of the few Muslim lawmakers in the state, denounced the move as an attack on religious freedom.

He said Muslim Texans deserve the same dignity, trust and civil liberties as any other community, urging the governor to reverse what he called a harmful and discriminatory proclamation.

Abbott’s characterization has heightened fears among civil rights advocates, who warn the move could pave the way for further restrictions on Muslim political life in Texas.

Legal experts argue that the power to designate groups as foreign terrorist organizations rests solely with the federal government, raising serious constitutional questions surrounding the governor’s unilateral declaration.

Muslim organizations and rights groups say the declaration reflects an escalating political effort to marginalize Muslims under the guise of state security, marking what they describe as a troubling new chapter in Islamophobic policymaking in the United States.