(The Center Square) – Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued his third directive in three days targeting Islamic groups with alleged ties to terrorism. In response, Muslim groups sued, arguing his directives are unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, Abbott first declared the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations.
Both have “made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” Abbott said. “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. These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”
In response, CAIR sent a letter to Abbott saying the proclamation was defamatory and has “no basis in law or fact.” It also said he has “no authority to unilaterally declare any Americans or American institutions terrorist groups.” CAIR says it’s an independent nonprofit organization that operates in full compliance with federal, state and local laws and it is not and never has been a member of or affiliated with any foreign organization.
On Wednesday, Abbott issued his second directive to law enforcement officers to investigate an Islamic Tribunal operating in north Texas that claims to make judicial rulings.
The tribunal claims its imams resolve legal disputes and are qualified to do so through their Islamic jurisprudence training at schools in Egypt, Sudan and Turkey.
The tribunal’s constitution explains, “Stoning adulterers, cutting of the hands, polyandry and the like (all can be traced in the relevant literature and can be explained in their Islamic legal mentality and rational context in fairness and justice), are mainly a part of Islamic Criminal Law.”
Abbott maintains the U.S. Constitution’s “religious protections provide no authority for religious courts to skirt state and federal laws simply by donning robes and pronouncing positions inconsistent with western civilization. Legal disputes in Texas must be decided based on American law rooted in the fundamental principles of American due process, not according to Sharia law dispensed in modern day star chambers.”
In response, CAIR blamed Israel for Abbott’s actions, also stating, “Israel’s PR machine helps manufacture anti-Muslim hysteria,” “anti-Sharia panic,” and “blatant Islamaphobia” used as “political tools to dehumanize Muslims and justify state violence.” CAIR also claims Abbott is an “AIPAC agent,” an “anti-Muslim bigot” and “Israel First politician.”
On Thursday, Abbott expanded his previous order by directing DPS, which includes the Texas Rangers and special agents assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, to launch criminal investigations into the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR. He directed them to work with federal partners to gather intelligence, investigate criminal organizations related to illicit funding and money laundering activities, and use Texas’ Terrorist Offender Registration Program when appropriate.
“The goal is to identify, disrupt, and eradicate terrorist organizations engaged in criminal activities in Texas,” Abbott said. “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.”
In response, CAIR Legal Defense Fund and Muslim Legal Defense Fund sued Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas even though CAIR Texas is based in Richardson and CAIR National is based in Washington, D.C. The district court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos and Waco.
The lawsuit alleges Abbott’s actions violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution as well as the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
“No civil rights organizations are safe if a governor can baselessly and unilaterally declare any of them terrorist groups, ban them from buying land, and threaten them with closure,” CAIR Litigation Director Lena Masri said.
MLFA attorney Charlie Swift said Abbott’s “unconstitutional proclamation undermines the very foundational notions of due process that our system depends upon and it must not stand. For the sake of our nation’s basic freedoms, Greg Abbott’s latest attack on the American people must be defeated.”
