Photo: Mark Wilson
Governor Greg Abbott has designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations (and transnational criminal organizations) under Texas state law.
Both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR are recognized as terrorist organizations by several nations, but the United States government has not designated either as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). (Note: Some affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood, such as Hamas, are federally designated as FTOs.)
Lt. Col. (U.S. Army, Ret.) Jeffrey Addicott, a professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law and director of the Warrior Defense Project, says there is ample reason to extend scrutiny to CAIR due to its historical ties to terrorism—and that Texas has now done so.
Addicott explained the connection between CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, which dates back to at least the 2008 Holy Land Foundation case. “In that particular case, they were labeled an unindicted co-conspirator by the federal government, which ties them directly to a terrorist organization,” he said.
The terrorist organization in question is Hamas, to which the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development—and five of its leaders—were found guilty of providing material support. That same Hamas, a federally designated terrorist organization, launched the deadly October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
So what does this new state-level designation mean for CAIR? Addicott explained: “It means they will not be able to own property. And if you have property, then the state has the ability to look at how you acquired the property, where the funding is coming from, and perhaps go to court to divest you of that property.”
As of now, it’s unclear how aggressively Governor Abbott or Attorney General Ken Paxton intends to pursue enforcement actions.