CAIR defends against Texas Gov. Abbott's request to revoke tax exemption

WASHINGTON - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has released a letter they sent to the U.S. Treasury secretary in defense of their status as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. 

The letter comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent his own to the same office, requesting that the council be stripped of their status. 

CAIR defends tax-exempt status

What's new:

CAIR sent their letter to Sec. Scott Bessent on Wednesday in response to Abbott's Tuesday request. 

In the letter, they say Abbott is targeting the council in response to their lawsuits against him, which they say blocked his attempts to "punish Americans critical of the Israeli government in violation of the First Amendment."

In response to Abbott's claims that CAIR is a terrorist organization, they say the council has acted in the opposite fashion over the years, even being targeted by ISIS at one point due to their criticisms of that organization. 

What they're saying:

CAIR released the following statement along with their letter:

"Governor Abbott is afraid. He knows that his proclamation targeting CAIR-Texas is unconstitutional, so now he is desperately trying to find another way to target our organization. Unfortunately for Mr. Abbott, his lies about us are easily disprovable and the truth about him is clearly evident: he's an Israel First politician who is obsessed with CAIR because our lawsuits have defeated his attempts to silence Texans critical of Israel three times in a row. We look forward to defeating him in court for a fourth time soon, God willing."

Abbott vs CAIR

The backstory:

Abbott's latest move against CAIR, requesting that Bessent investigate the nonprofit, claimed the group is a "direct subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood and as a 'front group' for Hamas in the United States." 

Last month, Abbott designated CAIR as a "successor organization" of the Muslim Brotherhood and a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Texas Penal Code. The designation subjects the organization to potential civil and criminal penalties, including a prohibition from purchasing land in Texas. 

In a letter sent to DPS Director Colonel Freeman Martin days later, Abbott accused the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR of having "long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s 'mastership of the world.'"

Abbott's directive stated that the groups' actions to support terrorism and subvert laws through "violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable and have no place in Texas." 

The other side:

After Abbott's actions, the leaders of several Muslim groups in North Texas held a news conference to denounce the governor’s proclamation. They called Abbott's designation dangerous and destructive, denying his claims about the non-profit. 

CAIR, which was founded in 1994 and is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization, stated in a lawsuit that the proclamation is based on "defamatory" and "provably false statements" and finds no support in Texas law.