SMU cancels CAIR-Texas youth conference over state’s ‘terrorist’ designation of organizer

Southern Methodist University has canceled an "Unapologetically Muslim" youth conference organized by CAIR-Texas that was scheduled to bring high school and college students to its Dallas campus, citing Texas’ designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a "foreign terrorist" organization.

The Sept.

19 conference was advertised as a day of leadership and civic engagement training featuring "interactive sessions," "mock testimony" and "power mapping," a community-organizing technique aimed at identifying and influencing people with decision-making power.

The event page on the website for CAIR-Texas says that the event is "designed for high school students and rising college freshmen and sophomores," and that "students will hear from community leaders and professionals, take part in interactive workshops, and learn how they can get more involved in the issues affecting their communities." BACKLASH ERUPTS OVER VIRAL VIDEO OF CAIR LEADER AS NEWSOM FUNDING DRAWS SCRUTINY On Friday, The Dallas Morning News reported that SMU had canceled the event citing Gov.

Greg Abbott’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.

"The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’" Abbott said in a November statement .

DEMS IN THE HOT SEAT FOR SKIPPING CRUCIAL HEARING ON RADICAL GROUP HIDING IN US: 'EMBARRASSMENT' "The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable," he said.

Abbott added, "These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas." The designation by the governor is a state designation and not a federal one.

In November 2025, CAIR sued Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the proclamation.

"This attempt to punish the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization simply because Governor Abbott disagrees with its views is not only contrary to the United States Constitution, but finds no support in any Texas law," the group said in its lawsuit.

"CAIR-Texas and the Texas Muslim community are standing up for our constitutional rights by directly confronting Greg Abbott’s lawless attack on our civil rights," CAIR-Texas said in a statement.

"We are not and will not be intimidated by smear campaigns launched by Israel First politicians like Mr.

Abbott.

Mr.