Nov. 19 (UPI) — Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott has designated two Muslim groups, including the United States’ largest, on accusations of being terrorist organizations.
The proclamation from Abbott, a Republican and President Donald Trump ally, designates the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.
The designation puts both organizations and their members under “heightened enforcement” while prohibiting them from purchasing or acquiring land in the Lone Star State.
Abbott blacklisted them by claiming they want to “forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world.'” No proof of either claim was provided.
“These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas,” Abbott said in a statement.
CAIR, the United States’ largest Muslim advocacy group, was founded in 1994 with the mission to promote justice, protect civil rights and empower American Muslims. CAIR condemns all acts of terrorism by any group designated by the United States as a terrorism organization, including Hamas.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the 1920s, renounced violence in the 1970s and now provides a mixture of religious teaching with political activism and social support, such as operating pharmacies, hospitals and schools, according the Council on Foreign Relations.
CAIR said its Texas chapter will continue its civil rights work and that its lawyers are considering legal action, calling Abbott’s designation “defamatory and lawless.”
In response, CAIR sent Abbott a letter refuting his accusations while accusing his office of spending months “stoking anti-Muslim hysteria” to smear those critical of Israel over its war in Gaza.
“Unlike your office, which has unleashed violence against Texas students protesting the Gaza genocide to satisfy you AIPAC donors, our civil rights organization answers to the American people, relies on support form the American people and stands up for American values,” Robert McCaw, director of government affairs at CAIR, said in the letter.
State Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Democrat, chastised Abbott’s designation as “discriminatory, dangerous and an attack on Muslim families.”
“I will not stay silent while innocent Texans are targeted,” he said in a statement. “This is the moment to stand up, speak our and make good trouble.”