Muslim civil rights and advocacy group says Abbott is digging himself a ‘deeper legal hole’ in ongoing lawsuit filed by CAIR.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today vowed to hold Texas Governor Greg Abbott accountable for targeting Muslim children who are scheduled to participate in an annual youth sporting event known as the Islamic Games, which has occurred in Texas for several years and across America for 35 years.
Today, Governor Abbott sent a letter to Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) that falsely claimed CAIR-New Jersey was a sponsor of the 2026 Houston Islamic Games and that his proclamation requires the district to cut ties with the sporting event.
Governor Abbott made this demand despite the fact that Islamic Games has released a public statement noting that CAIR-New Jersey was not and is not a sponsor of the event, and the fact that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said in court that the governor’s proclamation only applies to CAIR’s national office, not its chapters.
SEE:Islamic Games Announces Sporting Event To Continue This Summer
SEE:Governor Abbott Calls On CFISD To Sever Ties With CAIR-Sponsored Islamic Games
SEE:‘Terrorist’ designation doesn’t apply to local CAIR chapters, Texas AG argues in new filing
In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:
“Children should be off-limits in political games. Period. Yet Governor Abbott’s hatred of Muslims and his obsession with silencing critics of the Israeli government have now led him to target innocent children scheduled to participate in an athletic sporting event that has occurred for over 30 years in states across America, including Texas.
“Governor Abbott’s demand that a county cancel a Muslim youth sporting event because of a false claim that it was sponsored by CAIR-New Jersey makes no sense. Even if Governor Abbott’s lawless proclamation was enforceable, and it’s not, Attorney General Paxton has already sworn in court that the proclamation only applies to CAIR’s national office, not our chapters. Furthermore, CAIR-New Jersey was not and is not a sponsor of a sporting event in Texas—obviously.
“By placing Muslim children at the center of his campaign of hate, Governor Abbott is crossing every line of basic decency and digging himself a deeper legal hole. He is the governor of Texas, not the emperor of Texas, and we look forward to reminding him of that in a court of law. God willing.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com