CAIR Director Nihad Awad: Texas terror designation ‘unconstitutional’

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has condemned the Texas governor's recent decision to designate the organisation as a terrorist group, calling the move "unconstitutional" and a clear act of retaliation.

In an interview with our Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Awad said: "We defeated him three times in court when he ignored the rights of Texas citizens in the right to boycott against Israel.

We believe this is retaliation against the institution, and US courts do not allow any official in power to take revenge on an institution or place that defeated them in the judiciary."

Founded in 1994, CAIR is the largest civil-rights and Muslim advocacy organisation in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, DC, it operates more than 35 regional offices nationwide.

Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organisations and transnational criminal groups. He issued an order banning them — and anyone associated with them — from purchasing or owning property in the state.

Awad said Abbott is "an American politician clearly implementing an Israeli agenda", adding that the governor is openly hostile to Muslims. He accused Abbott of attempting to hinder the organisation's work by blocking and freezing a planned housing development near Dallas after the US Department of Justice rejected his request to investigate the project.

Awad confirmed that CAIR has filed a lawsuit against Abbott, saying the law is squarely on the organisation's side and that "the governor knows he does not have the authority for his illegal decision."

He rejected any attempt to link CAIR to the Muslim Brotherhood, saying, "This is a baseless allegation. He knows that completely, and he has not been able to find any evidence. In the courts, these claims have no value."

Awad added that the designation is part of a broader "hostile campaign to spread fear and allegations about Islam and Muslims in Texas."

According to Awad, anti-Muslim groups have long attempted to smear Islamic institutions "by linking them to Salafi groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda or even Hezbollah," without evidence — a tactic he described as "extremist political thinking" rooted in the belief that the United States "is only for Christians and Jews," despite constitutional protections for all faiths.

He also addressed claims circulating in Texas that CAIR is trying to impose sharia law, dismissing them as "as far from the truth as it gets." He added: "In reality, these allegations are part of an old, worn-out propaganda campaign. They are actually a reaction to the collapse and decline of Israel's interests and image before American public opinion."

Awad cited an Israeli government survey showing growing American public sympathy for Palestinians, saying this shift prompted "a proposal to launch a campaign of hostility towards Islam and Muslims to distract Americans from the challenges facing Israel domestically and from its declining image."

CAIR recently filed a federal lawsuit challenging Abbott's designation, arguing that the decision violates the US Constitution.

The organisation has gained increased national visibility in recent years as it expanded its operations across multiple states, particularly after documenting a steep rise in hate crimes, Islamophobia and attacks on Muslims and Islamic institutions during the war on Gaza.

Texas Republicans control both the legislative and executive branches. This year, legislators passed a law granting the governor expanded authority to block property ownership by individuals or entities named in annual threat-assessment reports prepared by the state's homeland security director — the legal basis Abbott used to justify his order.