In a startling move this week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist organizations.” His declaration prohibits these groups from acquiring property in Texas and authorizes state legal action against affiliated entities. While Abbott framed the decision as a stand against “radical extremism,” the action represents a dramatic escalation in the ongoing targeting of Muslim organizations and highlights a deeper crisis of free speech, state overreach, and hypocrisy in America’s treatment of its Muslim citizens.

Despite Abbott’s declaration carrying no Federal authority, it functions as a symbolic threat, empowering the Texas Attorney General to sue organizations allegedly linked to CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood - without clarifying the criteria for “affiliation” or enforcement procedures.

Abbott’s action follows months of social media attacks and state scrutiny of Muslim initiatives, including the Epic City development near Dallas, which he labeled a “sharia compound” and subjected to multiple investigations. These steps reveal a clear pattern of targeting Muslim communities and organizations under the guise of legality, while simultaneously stoking Islamophobic hysteria for political gain.

Previously, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz spoke about ongoing efforts to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist entities - a process they framed around national security concerns. Such statements reinforce a long-standing pattern where Muslim organizations and communities are treated as adversaries simply for advocating Islamic causes or opposing American foreign policy.

For decades, Muslims in America have been spied upon, profiled, criminalized, and intimidated under the guise of counterterrorism and national security. The Islamophobic rhetoric from previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican, has given rise to hate crimes against the Muslim community. Moreover, these efforts have intensified over the past two years especially due to the Muslim communities’ criticism against the genocide in Gaza and Zionist propaganda influencing legislative changes promoting draconian measures to suppress dissent.

In August 2025, we issued a press release on this escalation against Muslim groups and in lieu of current developments we remind our readers of the below:

This is not just about the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR but rather it affects all Muslim organizations and our communities simultaneously. The targeting of Muslim organizations for political reasons - especially those advocating for Muslim causes or Islamic governance - cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader pattern of hostility towards Islam.

The Prophet (saw) and the Sahaba (ra) faced similar political bans, exile, and smear campaigns in Makkah - not for violence, but for calling to Islam.

Islam obliges us Muslims to defend our Deen, to speak the truth, and to organize collectively for the welfare of the Ummah. We Muslims in America must stand firm together on the Haqq (truth), unite our voices, defend one another, and reject the intimidation designed to silence us and make us hide our Deen.

Allah (swt) reminds us:

[إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ]

“The believers are but one brotherhood” [Al-Hujurat: 10]

[وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاَةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُوْلَـئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللّهُ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ]

“The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another. They encourage good and forbid evil, establish prayer and pay zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. It is they who will be shown Allah’s mercy. Surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” [At-Tawbah: 71].

We, from Hizb ut Tahrir, encourage all Muslim organizations to be guardians of one another. This is not about one organization. This is about the survival of our Islamic identity in America. Our response must be unity, clarity, and resilience. This is a test of our collective strength.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in America