Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
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StudentNation
/ February 17, 2026
Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
In November, the governor issued a proclamation declaring CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, a terrorist organization. “It’s about sowing suspicion.”
Arman Amin
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A press conference held by the Council on American–Islamic Relations.
(Omar Alsaray / CAIR)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is the largest and most prominent Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States, founded in 1994 to provide legal support, monitor hate crimes, promote government relations with the Muslim community, and mobilize Muslim voters. For the last few years, it has also been deeply involved in student organizing and pro-Palestinian activism following Israel’s assault on Gaza.
When CAIR’s national executive director Nihad Awad made comments in the days immediately following the October 7 attacks saying that he was “happy to see people breaking the siege” of Gaza and arguing that “the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense,” the Biden administration publicly disavowed the group. In August, Senator Marco Rubio was asked in a telephone interview about the possibility of identifying CAIR as a terrorist organization alongside other groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.
Since then, criticism of CAIR, especially among Republicans in Texas, has only intensified. On November 18, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation declaring CAIR a “terrorist organization.” The order branded the group as a “front” for Hamas and, among other sweeping restrictions, barred the organization from purchasing land in the state.
Following Abbott’s declaration, the acting state comptroller has attempted to block certain private schools from participating in the state’s voucher program over their association with CAIR. In December, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a similar declaration in his own state. That same month, Abbott sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking that he revoke CAIR’s tax-exempt nonprofit status. The Department of the Treasury has not responded to Abbott’s …
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Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
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StudentNation
/ February 17, 2026
Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
In November, the governor issued a proclamation declaring CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, a terrorist organization. “It’s about sowing suspicion.”
Arman Amin
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
A press conference held by the Council on American–Islamic Relations.
(Omar Alsaray / CAIR)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is the largest and most prominent Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States, founded in 1994 to provide legal support, monitor hate crimes, promote government relations with the Muslim community, and mobilize Muslim voters. For the last few years, it has also been deeply involved in student organizing and pro-Palestinian activism following Israel’s assault on Gaza.
When CAIR’s national executive director Nihad Awad made comments in the days immediately following the October 7 attacks saying that he was “happy to see people breaking the siege” of Gaza and arguing that “the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense,” the Biden administration publicly disavowed the group. In August, Senator Marco Rubio was asked in a telephone interview about the possibility of identifying CAIR as a terrorist organization alongside other groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.
Since then, criticism of CAIR, especially among Republicans in Texas, has only intensified. On November 18, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation declaring CAIR a “terrorist organization.” The order branded the group as a “front” for Hamas and, among other sweeping restrictions, barred the organization from purchasing land in the state.
Following Abbott’s declaration, the acting state comptroller has attempted to block certain private schools from participating in the state’s voucher program over their association with CAIR. In December, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a similar declaration in his own state. That same month, Abbott sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking that he revoke CAIR’s tax-exempt nonprofit status. The Department of the Treasury has not responded to Abbott’s …
Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
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Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
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StudentNation
/ February 17, 2026
Muslims in Texas Are Harassed and Surveilled. Greg Abbot Is Making It Worse.
In November, the governor issued a proclamation declaring CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, a terrorist organization. “It’s about sowing suspicion.”
Arman Amin
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
A press conference held by the Council on American–Islamic Relations.
(Omar Alsaray / CAIR)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is the largest and most prominent Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States, founded in 1994 to provide legal support, monitor hate crimes, promote government relations with the Muslim community, and mobilize Muslim voters. For the last few years, it has also been deeply involved in student organizing and pro-Palestinian activism following Israel’s assault on Gaza.
When CAIR’s national executive director Nihad Awad made comments in the days immediately following the October 7 attacks saying that he was “happy to see people breaking the siege” of Gaza and arguing that “the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense,” the Biden administration publicly disavowed the group. In August, Senator Marco Rubio was asked in a telephone interview about the possibility of identifying CAIR as a terrorist organization alongside other groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.
Since then, criticism of CAIR, especially among Republicans in Texas, has only intensified. On November 18, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation declaring CAIR a “terrorist organization.” The order branded the group as a “front” for Hamas and, among other sweeping restrictions, barred the organization from purchasing land in the state.
Following Abbott’s declaration, the acting state comptroller has attempted to block certain private schools from participating in the state’s voucher program over their association with CAIR. In December, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a similar declaration in his own state. That same month, Abbott sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking that he revoke CAIR’s tax-exempt nonprofit status. The Department of the Treasury has not responded to Abbott’s …
