TEXAS – Two Islamic civil rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The lawsuits seek to block what they call an “unconstitutional and defamatory” proclamation labeling CAIR-Texas a foreign terrorist organization.
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF) and the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) announced the suit hours before attorneys held a virtual news conference at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the filing.
Gov. Abbott’s Nov. 18 proclamation declared the Texas chapter of CAIR — a long-running American civil rights group — a “foreign terrorist organization.”
READ MORE: Texas governor labels Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR as foreign terrorist group
The proclamation also threatened civil penalties if the group continued its work in the state.
CAIR and MLFA say the governor’s declaration is baseless, unlawful, and an attempt to punish political speech.
“The Muslim Legal Fund of America is proud to defend the constitutional rights of CAIR-Texas and the right of all Texans to engage in free speech and uphold civil rights without facing lawless and defamatory attacks,” MLFA attorney Charlie Swift said in a statement.
CAIR Litigation Director and General Counsel Lena Masri said the organization has previously defeated Abbott in court over First Amendment disputes.
“This lawsuit is our first step toward defeating Governor Abbott again so that our nation protects free speech and due process for all Americans,” Masri said in the same statement.
CAIR-Texas leaders called Abbott’s proclamation a “lawless attack” and said the group would continue their advocacy for Islam in the state.
“We are not and will not be intimidated by smear campaigns,” CAIR-Texas said in a prepared statement. “We plan to continue exercising our constitutional rights.”
CAIR said it previously sent the governor a letter challenging his claims and citing the organization’s three-decade track record of denouncing terrorism and unjust violence.
The organization also noted the governor has previously targeted Muslim nonprofits, efforts that have not held up under legal or federal scrutiny.
The filing marks the latest clash between Abbott and Muslim civil rights groups.
Thursday, Gov. Abbott doubled down on his characterization of the groups from two days ago, calling for DPS to launch a criminal investigation into the brotherhood.
“The goal is to identify, disrupt, and eradicate terrorist organizations engaged in criminal activities in Texas,” said Abbott. “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.”
Abbott said he considers the organization a terrorist group based on concerns about alleged support for terrorism and efforts to undermine legal systems.
“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” said Abbott. ”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. Today, I designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations. These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”
This state’s recent designation marks the first time Texas has applied these restrictions to either organization. According to the governor’s office, the decision took effect immediately and applied to any real property interests within Texas.