Khaberni - Governor Greg Abbott of Texas classified the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, deciding to ban them and any affiliated individuals from purchasing or owning land within the state. This decision is the first of its kind among American states.
Abbott pointed out that both organizations supported the October 7, 2023 attack carried out by Hamas on southern Israel, in addition to their connections to the Hamas network in America and other issues.
In his announcement, Abbott accused the Muslim Brotherhood of supporting terrorism and undermining Texas laws through harassment, intimidation, and violence, coming months after he signed a law banning so-called Islamic Sharia complexes in Texas.
In a statement, Abbott said, “The Muslim Brotherhood and the American Council on Islamic Relations have long made clear their goals: to impose Sharia by force.”
He added, “The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism globally through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable under our laws,” affirming that, “These extremists are not welcome in our state, and they are now prohibited from having any real estate interests in Texas.”
Allen West, Chairman of the Republican Party in Dallas County, said, "I believe the Governor realizes that all these issues are interconnected. I also believe that the Governor is taking a proactive stance to ensure that this link related to resources and support is severed."
The decision by Texas prevents these organizations from acquiring real estate within the state, indicating that the legal scope is not only limited to the federal level but extends to the states, which could lead to tangible consequences like the prohibition of land purchases or infrastructure development.
The new decision against the Muslim Brotherhood in America comes amidst a campaign that resumed after President Donald Trump's return to the White House earlier this year, 2025. Previously, Republican Senator Ted Cruz presented a "new strategy" in July to classify the group as a terrorist organization, to immobilize their activities globally and weaken them through sanctions on its branches worldwide.
The United States is witnessing a renewed wave of political and legal motions targeting the Muslim Brotherhood and related networks. This campaign is not limited to federal initiatives alone but has reached state levels, where authorities in American states announced symbolic and procedural steps to distinguish organizations and networks associated with the Brotherhood as “terrorists” or “transnational criminal organizations.”
The campaign prominently began during Trump’s first administration in 2019, when the White House announced plans to classify the Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, a move supported by prominent Republican figures like Cruz who had introduced previous bills to impose sanctions on the group.
With Trump’s return to power, the campaign has intensified, and in addition to the “Cruz Strategy,” Republican Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Democrat Jared Moskowitz reintroduced the "Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Organization Act of 2025" demanding its classification as a global terrorist entity and imposing comprehensive sanctions on it.
In August, Representative Elise Stefanik fully endorsed Trump's decision to classify the group, describing it as a "long overdue step" in countering Islamic radical threats.
