Texas Gov. Abbott directs state police to open criminal probes into Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)
AUSTIN - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken aggressive action against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood, officially designating the groups as state-level Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). The designation, made on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, immediately prohibits both groups and their affiliates from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas.
Two days later, on Thursday, Nov. 20, Abbott directed the state's top law enforcement agency, the Department of Public Safety (DPS), to immediately launch criminal investigations into both organizations, alleging they are promoting radical ideology and seeking to subvert U.S. laws.
DPS Directive to Investigate
What we know:
In a letter sent to DPS Director Colonel Freeman Martin, Abbott accused the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR of having "long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s 'mastership of the world.'"
What they're saying:
"The goal is to identify, disrupt, and eradicate terrorist organizations engaged in criminal activities in Texas," said Governor Abbott. "We will target threats of violence, intimidation, and harassment of our citizens. We will also focus on individuals or groups who unlawfully impose Sharia law—which violates the Texas Constitution and state statutes."
Abbott's directive stated that the groups' actions to support terrorism and subvert laws through "violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable and have no place in Texas." He cited previous federal court filings that identified CAIR as a direct subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood and a "front group" for Hamas, a designation he claims is supported by "ample evidence."
The letter specifically referenced a recent news report that alleged CAIR provided $1,000 cash grants to university students who had been disciplined for disrupting classes and celebrating the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Gov. Abbott designates Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR 'foreign terrorist organizations'
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation designating two Muslim advocacy groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
To counter what he termed a threat to the state's security, Abbott ordered the DPS to take several immediate actions:
- Intelligence Gathering: Work with Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) to leverage federal partnerships for gathering intelligence and initiating investigations.
- Financial Investigation: Utilize intelligence and technologies to investigate criminal organizations regarding illicit funding and money laundering activities.
- Partnership: Partner with the Texas Attorney General’s Office to oversee nonprofit organizations, explicitly mentioning CAIR.
- Criminal Enforcement: Identify and initiate criminal investigations against any individual or entity seeking to enforce any law contrary to state or federal law, including efforts to impose Sharia law.
- Registration: Utilize Texas’ Terrorist Offender Registration Program when appropriate.
Abbott concluded the letter by instructing the DPS to "proactively work to disrupt any group seeking to unlawfully establish or promote a breeding ground for radicalism in this State," emphasizing the need to "aggressively confront individuals or groups who seek to unlawfully proliferate radical Islamic ideology."
The Source: Information in this article is from Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office.