AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Thursday that he has filed a lawsuit seeking to prohibit the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), along with its local chapters in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth, from conducting any activities within the state. The legal action, filed in Collin County district court, aims to enforce a recent gubernatorial designation labeling the groups as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal entities.
The lawsuit stems from a proclamation issued by Governor Greg Abbott on November 18, 2025, which formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations under Texas Penal Code § 71.01(e) and transnational criminal organizations under Texas Property Code § 5.254(a)(2)(A). Abbott's order prohibits these groups from acquiring or owning land in Texas and empowers enhanced enforcement measures against their affiliates. In January 2026, Abbott further directed Paxton to investigate CAIR's nonprofit status and pursue actions to eliminate its operations in the state, citing concerns over its alleged ties to terrorism.
According to the lawsuit, titled The State of Texas v. Muslim Brotherhood, et al., the Muslim Brotherhood is described as a "radical terrorist organization that exists to usurp governmental power and establish dominion through Sharia law." Paxton alleges that CAIR has operated as the Brotherhood's American affiliate for three decades, pointing to historical evidence such as CAIR's founding in 1994 following a 1993 meeting of Hamas operatives and its status as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case. In that trial, a CAIR-Texas founding board member, Ghassan Elashi, was convicted of funneling $12.4 million to Hamas and is serving a 65-year federal prison sentence.
The filing accuses the organizations of violating multiple Texas laws, including bans on entities engaging in terrorism, prohibitions on transnational criminal groups owning property, and public nuisance statutes related to gang-like activities. Paxton seeks temporary and permanent injunctions to halt all operations, including fundraising, member recruitment, and property ownership in Texas.
"Sharia law and the jihadists who follow sharia law have no business being in Texas," Paxton stated in a press release accompanying the lawsuit. "I am in full support of Governor Abbott’s lawful declaration that CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood are foreign terrorist organizations, and it’s imperative that they are stopped from operating in Texas. Radical Islamic terrorists are antithetical to law and order, endanger the people of Texas, and are an existential threat to our values."
The lawsuit references international precedents, noting that nine countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization since 2013. It also cites recent events, such as the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, which killed over 1,200 people, including Americans, and alleges CAIR's support for related protests and programs. Paxton argues that CAIR continues to build an "underground network" in Texas with the goal of establishing Sharia law and overtaking institutions.
CAIR and its Texas chapters have strongly contested these claims. In response to the lawsuit, CAIR dismissed it as "another frivolous, politically motivated anti-Muslim publicity stunt" that wastes taxpayer dollars. The organization noted that it had already filed a federal lawsuit in November 2025 against Abbott and Paxton, seeking to block enforcement of the proclamation on grounds that it violates due process and federal law. That case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, argues the designation is unconstitutional and creates an imminent risk to CAIR's property rights and operations.
In a December 2025 filing in the federal case, Paxton's office argued that the proclamation does not specifically target local CAIR chapters and raises a non-justiciable political question. CAIR countered that Paxton's response attempts to avoid a judicial ruling on the merits, asserting that the order broadly applies and hinders their civil rights work. "Although Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is now claiming that Governor Abbott’s unconstitutional order does not apply to CAIR-Texas, the sweeping order makes no such distinction," CAIR-Texas stated.
The ongoing disputes have extended beyond the courts. In January 2026, Paxton demanded documents from Texas school districts regarding ties to CAIR-sponsored events like the Islamic Games of North America, as part of broader investigations. Abbott has also directed the Department of Public Safety to launch criminal probes into the groups.
This lawsuit represents the latest escalation in Texas officials' efforts to restrict CAIR's activities, amid national debates over designations of foreign-linked organizations. The federal case remains pending, and no immediate hearings have been scheduled in the new state lawsuit.
