89R26820 JH-F
By: Patterson H.R. No. 971
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas is proud of its diverse
communities built on shared values of liberty, faith, and
patriotism; and
WHEREAS, All communities are important to Texas, and we honor
those who contribute to the strength, culture, and prosperity of
our state; and
WHEREAS, The Council on American-Islamic Relations has been
credibly linked to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the
Muslim Brotherhood, both enemies of the United States and threats
to our way of life; CAIR's leadership has openly praised acts of
terror, defended violence against innocent civilians, and shown
contempt for American allies such as Israel; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Investigation has suspended
all formal contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations
due to evidence demonstrating a relationship between CAIR and
Hamas; Hamas is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by
the United States Department of State and perpetrated the brutal
attack on the State of Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas
indiscriminately killed more than 1,200 innocent people, including
Israelis, Americans, and other nationals, and took more than 240
civilians as hostages; and
WHEREAS, In the federal criminal prosecutions of persons
involved with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development,
the largest successful prosecution of terrorism financing in our
country's history, CAIR was identified as an associate of the
Muslim Brotherhood and was named an unindicted co-conspirator in
the trial; and
WHEREAS, Soon after opening its first office in Washington,
D.C., CAIR received a grant from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief
and Development, a charitable organization that was closed and was
designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United
States Department of the Treasury for funding jihadist terrorist
organizations; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, Ghassan Elashi, who was a member of the
founding board of directors of the Texas branch of CAIR and a leader
of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, was
sentenced to a total of 65 years in prison after being convicted of
10 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, material
support to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as
numerous other charges; and
WHEREAS, Randall Todd Royer, also known as Ismail Royer, who
served as a communications specialist and civil rights coordinator
for CAIR, trained with and set up an Internet-based newsletter for
Lashkar-e-Taiba, an al Qaeda-tied Kashmir organization that is
listed on the United States Department of State's international
terror list; he was also indicted on charges of conspiring to help
al Qaeda and the Taliban battle American troops fighting in
Afghanistan and was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 9,
2004; and
WHEREAS, In September 2003, CAIR's former community affairs
director, Bassem Khafagi, pleaded guilty to three federal counts of
bank and visa fraud and agreed to be deported to Egypt after he had
funneled money to activities supporting terrorism and had published
material advocating suicide attacks against the United States,
illegal activities that took place while he was employed by CAIR;
and
WHEREAS, Rabih Haddad, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based CAIR
fundraiser, was arrested on terrorism-related charges and was
deported from the United States due to his work as Executive
Director of the Global Relief Foundation, which in October 2002 was
closed by the United States Department of the Treasury for
financing al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations; and
WHEREAS, It is a dangerous affront to the people of Texas to
allow any group that supports, sympathizes with, or excuses
terrorism to be welcomed or honored within the halls of our Capitol;
just as the Texas Capitol would never open its doors to groups such
as the Ku Klux Klan, to drug cartels, or to any other group that
promotes hatred and violence, it must not and will not open its
doors to CAIR; the ongoing Islamification of American communities
through extremist organizations represents one of the most urgent
cultural and security challenges facing our state today; and
WHEREAS, Texas has always stood firmly against enemies
foreign and domestic, rejecting any group that seeks to undermine
the Constitution, erode our freedoms, or endanger our families, and
it will never tolerate, support, or honor organizations aligned
with terrorism, hatred, or the enemies of the United States; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby declare the Council on American-Islamic
Relations unwelcome at the Texas Capitol.