AG Ken Paxton files lawsuit to stop CAIR from operating in Texas; CAIR calls it an "anti-Muslim publicity stunt"
Texas filed a lawsuit in Collin County on Thursday that seeks to ban the group Council of American-Islamic Relations from operating in the state.
In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleged that CAIR is the "American face" of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group based in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
CAIR and the organization's Texas chapter blasted the lawsuit in a statement issued Thursday.
"Ken Paxton's lawsuit is another frivolous, politically motivated and anti-Muslim publicity stunt that again wastes taxpayer dollars," the statement said in part.
The lawsuit was filed days after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a news release demanding that Paxton take action to eliminate CAIR in the state.
Texas actions against CAIR
Last year, Gov. Abbott issued a proclamation declaring CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations in an attempt to prevent them purchasing or acquiring land in the state. Abbott alleged that the groups were using "harassment, intimidation and violence" in Texas to "forcibly impose sharia law and establish Islam's 'mastership of the world.'"
CAIR responded to Abbott's proclamation with a federal lawsuit, claiming that the proclamation was "unconstitutional and defamatory." They also said the allegations against the group have "no basis in law or fact."
"You do not have the authority to unilaterally declare any Americans or American institutions terrorist groups, nor is there any basis to level this smear against our organization," CAIR wrote in a letter sent before the lawsuit was filed.
CAIR's history and criticism
CAIR was founded in 1994, and calls itself the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. Critics claim that CAIR's founders had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is also tied to the ideology behind terrorist groups like Hamas and ISIS. CAIR has said those claims have been debunked, it has advocated against all forms of bigotry and racism, and condemns all violence, including terrorism.
CAIR's lawsuit against Abbott is still pending with Waco-based federal judge Alan Albright.