Muslim groups, other leaders demand Abbott rescind CAIR's ‘terrorist’ designation: 'Defamatory'

A group of Muslim and interfaith leaders are urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to reverse his proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a "foreign terrorist organization."Texas’s designation is state-level only. It does not carry the legal force of a federal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listing, which only the U.S. State Department can issue. Abbott’s proclamation, therefore, does not trigger federal terrorism penalties or authorities.The leaders of several Muslim groups held a news conference on Tuesday to denounce the governor’s proclamat