Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR designated as terrorist organisations in Texas

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

The declaration was made despite the fact that neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor CAIR appears on the United States government’s official list of terrorist organisations. CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group, condemned Abbott’s action as baseless, unconstitutional and an open display of Islamophobia.

The organisation accused the governor of weaponising conspiracy theories to target Muslim communities, warning that any attempt to formalise this proclamation into policy would be met with legal challenge.

Observers say the governor’s announcement cannot be separated from the controversy surrounding EPIC City, a proposed Muslim-led residential 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 suggesting the development sought to impose Islamic law or operate outside state regulations. Federal civil rights investigators also closed their inquiry into the project without filing charges.

Critics argue that linking CAIR to the Muslim Brotherhood revives a long-discredited narrative used to undermine Muslim community institutions and restrict their right to organise or collectively own 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 every other community, urging the governor to reverse what he called a harmful and discriminatory proclamation.

Abbott’s designation has intensified fears among civil rights advocates, who warn that the move could pave the way for further restrictions on Muslim civic life in Texas.

Legal experts maintain that the authority to classify groups as foreign terrorist organisations lies exclusively with the federal government, raising serious constitutional questions around the governor’s unilateral declaration.

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