US: Texas Governor designates two Muslim groups as terrorist, criminal organisations

Houston, Nov 19 (PTI) Texas Governor Greg Abbott has designated two Muslim groups as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations, barring them from purchasing or acquiring land in the US state and authorising legal action to shut down any associated operations.

In a statement issued by his office on Tuesday, Abbott said the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) “support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation and harassment”.

He said the move to designate these two groups as terrorist organisations was intended to protect Texans from what he described as extremist networks seeking to impose agendas incompatible with democratic values.

“These radical extremists are not welcome in our state,” Abbott said.

While CAIR was set up to advance American Muslim civil rights and has been a vocal critic of US government policy in the Gaza conflict, the Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Sunni Islamist movement established in Egypt.

The proclamation, released by the Governor’s Office in Austin, cites past investigations and federal cases, including the Holy Land Foundation prosecution, as part of the justification for the designation.

Under the order, any affiliated entities identified by the state would be subject to the same restrictions, including the prohibition on acquiring real property interests in Texas.

Though the designation of entities as terrorist organisations is ordinarily not the prerogative of states but of the federal government, Abbott justified his action by invoking state powers over land acquisition and public safety.

According to World Population Review, Texas is among the US states with a rapidly growing Muslim population, about 313,000 people as of 2025.

Meanwhile, CAIR rejected Abbott's action and said it would challenge the designation, asserting that the move was politically driven and lacked factual or legal basis. PTI SHK SCY SCY SCY