Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to investigate the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday announced that he instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch a criminal investigation into the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
“The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable and have no place in Texas,” a letter from Abbott said.
Earlier this week, Abbott announced that he had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, banning them from buying or acquiring land in Texas and authorizing the Texas Attorney General to sue to shut them down.
“The goal is to identify, disrupt, and eradicate terrorist organizations engaged in criminal activities in Texas,” Abbott said. “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.”
According to Abbott, “DPS Special Agents assigned to FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces around the state will gather intelligence and initiate investigations into potential violations of state and federal law.”
Abbott said the state “will work to disrupt any group conspiring to engage in criminal activities or seeking to establish or promote a breeding ground for extremist Islamic radicalism that violates Texas law.”
In a statement, CAIR Litigation Director Lena Masri said that CAIR has sued and won three lawsuits against Abbott in the past. The organization said it filed another lawsuit due to Abbott’s recent actions.
“The lawsuit we have filed today is our first step towards defeating Governor Abbott again so that our nation protects free speech and due process for all Americans. 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. We have beaten Greg Abbott’s attacks on the First Amendment before, and God willing, we will do it again now,” Masri’s statement said.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell is a civil rights attorney and national deputy director for CAIR. He said Abbott doesn’t have the power to declare American institutions terrorist groups, and he shouldn’t be given that power.
CAIR called Abbott’s proclamation a publicity stunt to get back at people who criticized the American government for offering Israel support in its attacks on Gaza. They called the claims in the proclamation baseless.
Ahmed Mitchell said there has been an increase in Muslim hate crimes in recent years and a surge in the last six months.
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