Texas designates Muslim rights groups CAIR & Muslim Brotherhood as 'foreign terrorists'

Abbott said the move is supported by a recently enacted state law limiting property ownership by entities tied to “foreign adversaries.”

Republican state legislator Cole Hefner, who authored the land-ownership restrictions, backed the announcement, saying, “Today proves exactly why that law was needed.”

Meanwhile, CAIR, one of the largest Muslim civil-rights organisations in the country, sharply rejected the designation, calling it unconstitutional and politically motivated.

In a letter to the governor, CAIR government affairs director Robert S. McCaw said Abbott had “no authority” to label American groups as terrorist organisations and accused him of fueling “anti-Muslim hysteria.”

Furthermore, Abbott’s order also renews scrutiny of a Muslim-oriented housing project near Dallas that state Republicans have targeted for months. The East Plano Islamic Center, which is behind the development, has repeatedly denied claims that it intends to create a “Sharia-law enclave.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department closed a civil rights investigation into the project without taking action.

To be mentioned here, Texas is home to a fast-growing Muslim population, estimated at more than 300,000 people as of 2025. CAIR has played a prominent role in advocating for their civil rights and has been outspoken in its criticism of U.S. policy in the Gaza conflict, drawing sustained pushback from Texas Republican leaders.

Also, neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a terrorist entity by the U.S. government.

Abbott’s action, notably, marks the second time he has applied such labels unilaterally, following a 2024 proclamation targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration later matched at the federal level.

Founded in Egypt nearly a century ago, the Muslim Brotherhood operates internationally and maintains that it renounced violence decades ago, though several Middle Eastern governments continue to view it as a destabilising force.

CAIR said Abbott’s move reflects a broader pattern of conflating Muslim civic activity with extremism and warned that the designation may invite discrimination and constitutional violations.

The governor has signaled he intends to enforce the proclamation aggressively, setting up a likely legal battle over how far states can go in asserting national-security powers that traditionally fall under federal authority.