Natalie Weber/HPM
Imran Ghani, director of Houston’s CAIR chapter, addresses reporters at a press conference on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.
Standing in front of reporters Friday, Imam Ehteshamul Haque made a call for peace and equality.
Haque was one of several Muslim leaders who gathered at the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Houston chapter to condemn Gov. Greg Abbott’s designation of CAIR as a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization.
“I ask you, oh Almighty God, to grant our governor a good health, a sound mind and divine help to think about the minorities of his state … and protect them,” Haque said.
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The governor also named the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization. The designation bars both groups from purchasing land in Texas. In a news release, Abbott accused CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to “forcibly impose Sharia law.”
Abbott also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to conduct a criminal investigation into the groups.
RELATED: Houston-area Democrats condemn governor’s decision to label CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization
The Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth chapters of CAIR have filed a lawsuit against the governor, saying his actions are unconstitutional.
At Friday’s news conference, attorney and CAIR board member John Floyd said the organization’s Houston chapter planned to also join the lawsuit.
“CAIR is in an unusual position as a civil rights organization,” he said. “We have a strong legal defense team. We have a good PR team. And we’re not going to take it. We’re gonna take a stand against this governor.”
CAIR Houston’s director, Imran Ghani, said local Muslims have seen an increase in discrimination in recent months. Each of the organization’s chapters has a legal intake form on its website.
Ghani said that CAIR saw its highest number of complaints of harassment nationwide last year.
“We’re well on our way to exceeding that number this year,” he said.