Texas Governor Greg Abbott Designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as Terrorist Organizations
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive proclamation today officially designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations under state law. The move prohibits both groups and their affiliates from purchasing or acquiring any real property interest in Texas and authorizes the Texas Attorney General to pursue legal action to dismantle their operations within the state.
In a statement accompanying the proclamation, Abbott declared:
“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world.’ The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable. These radical extremists are not welcome in our state.”
The 2+-page proclamation lays out an extensive list of allegations against both organizations:
• It describes the Muslim Brotherhood as a transnational Islamist network founded in 1928 → whose leaders have openly called for jihad against non-believers and the establishment of a global caliphate enforcing Sharia law through force.
• It identifies Hamas as the Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch → designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States since 1997 → responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack that killed American citizens.
• It accuses CAIR of operating as a Hamas front group in the United States → citing its origins in the Islamic Association for Palestine → its status as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing trial → and multiple past CAIR officials convicted of terrorism-related offenses.
• It references statements by CAIR executive director Nihad Awad praising Hamas’s October 7 attack → as well as historical Muslim Brotherhood doctrinal commitments to “eliminate and destroy Western civilization from within.”
The document also notes that several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, have banned or severely restricted the Muslim Brotherhood, and that branches such as Hamas and Libyan Islamic Fighting Group appear on the U.S. State Department’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entities.
The proclamation invokes Texas Property Code §5.254, which allows the state-level restrictions on property ownership by entities deemed foreign terrorist organizations. It further empowers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to initiate legal proceedings to dissolve or enjoin the activities of both groups inside Texas.
Background and Context
Allegations linking CAIR to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas have circulated for nearly two decades, most prominently during the 2007–2008 Holy Land Foundation prosecution — the largest terrorism-financing case in U.S. history. Federal prosecutors identified CAIR as part of a Brotherhood-created network designed to support Hamas politically and financially inside the United States. Although CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator, it was never charged, and the organization has consistently denied any operational or financial ties to Hamas or the Brotherhood.
Several CAIR officials and affiliates have faced terrorism-related convictions over the years, including:
• Ghassan Elashi
• Abdurahman Alamoudi
• Randall Todd Royer
• Bassem Khafagi
— all cited in the proclamation.
CAIR has long characterized these accusations as Islamophobic smears originating from anti-Muslim activists and has pointed to its repeated condemnation of terrorism in all forms, including by Hamas and al-Qaeda. In past statements responding to similar criticism from Governor Abbott and other Texas officials, CAIR has accused the accusations are baseless attempts to marginalize American Muslims.
As of publication, CAIR had not issued an official response to today’s proclamation. The organization has previously vowed to challenge what it calls unconstitutional attacks on Muslim civil rights through litigation, and legal experts anticipate a swift federal lawsuit alleging First Amendment and due-process violations.
Immediate reactions on social media were polarized, with supporters praising Abbott for taking a strong stand against Islamist influence and critics accusing him of fueling anti-Muslim bigotry. The designation marks the first time a U.S. state has formally classified CAIR as a terrorist entity, though the Republican Party of Texas passed a resolution denouncing the group earlier this year and federal legislation to designate the Muslim Brotherhood itself has been introduced multiple times in Congress.
The proclamation takes effect immediately.