Muslim civil rights group CAIR sues Texas over Abbott's ‘terrorist’ designation
A prominent Muslim advocacy organization is taking Texas to court, arguing that Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to brand it a "foreign terrorist organization" tramples both the U.S. Constitution and state...
By Fox News · Fox News
A prominent Muslim advocacy organization is taking Texas to court, arguing that Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to brand it a "foreign terrorist organization" tramples both the U.S. Constitution and state law. The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin chapters filed a federal lawsuit Thursday seeking to overturn Abbott’s proclamation issued earlier in the week. "This attempt to punish the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization simply because Governor Abbott disagrees with its views is not only contrary to the United States Constitution , but finds no support in any Texas law," the group said in its lawsuit. Founded in 1994, CAIR operates 25 chapters nationwide, including a small Texas staff of eight employees and two contractors, according to the filing. TEXAS GOV ABBOTT DECLARES CAIR, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS TERRORIST GROUPS, PREVENTING LAND PURCHASES "CAIR-Texas and the Texas Muslim community are standing up for our constitutional rights by directly confronting Greg Abbott’s lawless attack on our civil rights," CAIR-Texas said in a statement. "We are not and will not be intimidated by smear campaigns launched by Israel First politicians like Mr. Abbott. Mr. Abbott is defaming us and other American Muslims because we are effective advocates for justice here and abroad. We plan to continue exercising our constitutional rights, defending civil rights, and speaking truth to power, whether in defense of free speech, religious freedom and racial equality here in Texas or in defense of human rights abroad." Abbott’s order extended the "terrorist" label to the Muslim Brotherhood, even though federal authorities have never classified either group that way. The governor’s decree also bars CAIR from purchasing land in the Lone Star State under a new statute aimed at curbing purchases tied to "foreign adversaries." The group’s filing contends Abbott relied on "inflammatory statements with no basis in fact," selectively c…