Texas Governor Declares Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR Foreign Terrorist Organizations

Texas Governor Greg Abbott officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations on Tuesday, citing long-standing ties to Islamic extremism and efforts to undermine U.S. law through intimidation and religious radicalism.

Abbott’s declaration prohibits both organizations from purchasing or owning land in Texas and allows the state to impose enhanced penalties on individuals affiliated with them.

“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” Abbott said in a statement. “Their actions to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable.”

The designation is part of Texas’s broader campaign to crack down on transnational criminal threats and foreign terrorist activity, particularly in the wake of escalating concerns over religious extremism and national security.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has been labeled a militant and ideological driver of modern jihadism. Its founder, Hassan al-Banna, openly called for global Islamic supremacy through jihad, and its leaders have repeatedly voiced support for terrorist acts. In one instance, the group publicly condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and called for attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.

CAIR, which presents itself as a Muslim civil rights group, has long been criticized for its alleged links to radical Islam and Hamas. In 2008, during the nation’s largest terrorism financing trial, federal prosecutors named CAIR and its co-founders as unindicted co-conspirators in a scheme to funnel money to Hamas. Several former CAIR employees have also been convicted of aiding terror groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

CAIR has denied the allegations and responded sharply to Abbott’s designation. “We have consistently condemned all forms of unjust violence… In fact, we condemn terrorism so often that ISIS once put a target on our national executive director,” the group said in a statement. They dismissed the move as “a publicity stunt” and accused Abbott of peddling “debunked conspiracy theories.”

Abbott’s action also comes amid controversy over a proposed Muslim housing compound in North Texas—a 400-acre development led by the East Plano Islamic Center, the state’s largest mosque. While the project has no known connection to the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR, it is now under federal investigation following concerns raised by Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

“Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no place in the Lone Star State,” Cornyn said. “Any violations of federal law must be swiftly prosecuted, and I know under the Trump administration, they will be.”

The designations are expected to face legal and political backlash but signal a decisive escalation in Texas’s posture toward radical Islamic organizations operating inside the United States. With federal agencies already probing potential threats tied to international extremist networks, Abbott’s declaration could be the first of many state-level moves aimed at limiting the spread of foreign-backed ideology on American soil.