The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton after Abbott issued a proclamation declaring the group a foreign terrorist organization.
The proclamation, issued Tuesday, said members and affiliates of CAIR, the country’s largest group focused on advocating for the civil rights of Muslims, would not be able to own property in Texas.
CAIR’s suit contends that labeling it a terrorist organization without due process is in violation of federal law, and that Abbott’s declaration is a violation of the organization’s First Amendment rights and constitutionally protected property rights.
“No civil rights organizations are safe if a governor can baselessly and unilaterally declare any of them terrorist groups, ban them from buying land, and threaten them with closure,” CAIR litigation director Lena Masri said in a news release announcing the group’s lawsuit.
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The suit was brought by the Muslim Legal Fund of America and the CAIR Legal Defense Fund. A spokesperson for Abbott did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment.
Abbott said in the Tuesday proclamation that CAIR was a “successor organization” to the Muslim Brotherhood, which he also said he had designated a terrorist group. The U.S. designates several branches or affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Hamas, as terrorist organizations.
In the lawsuit, CAIR’s lawyers said that the organization has historically condemned terrorism, including the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on civilians by Hamas. The suit also said Abbott’s proclamation “cherry picks” statements made by individuals with various levels of affiliation with CAIR as proof the organization supports terrorism.
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According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, only the U.S. secretary of state, in consultation with the attorney general and secretary of the treasury, can officially designate a group a foreign terrorist organization. Following Abbott’s proclamation, other politicians have called for the federal government to follow Abbott’s lead and designate CAIR a terrorist group.
CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund of America, or MLFA, held a news conference Thursday to discuss their lawsuit. Charles Swift, head of MFLA’s criminal defense department, said during the conference that he did not expect the federal government to give CAIR a foreign terrorist organization designation.
“I think the federal government knows the difference between a foreign organization and a domestic organization,” Swift said.
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On Wednesday, Abbott sent a letter to North Texas district attorneys and Paxton, asking them to investigate what the governor called “Sharia tribunals masquerading as legal courts.”
In the letter, Abbott pointed to the Islamic Tribunal in Dallas, saying they had set up a rival court system to illegally enforce Sharia, moral rules laid out in Muslim scriptures. In a statement, the tribunal said its judges only handle family law disputes and refer their decisions to Texas courts for a final verdict and for enforcement.
Earlier this year, Abbott and other Texas leaders directed a series of investigations into plans to develop a Muslim-centric neighborhood near Josephine.
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Officials have accused the developers of discriminating against non-Muslims and taking advantage of investors.
In September, Abbott held a news conference condemning the planned neighborhood, describing it as a “Sharia compound.” CAIR has defended developers and accused the governor of anti-Muslim rhetoric.