Governor Abbott’s Attack on CAIR Is an Attack on Us All

I serve at the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, one of the nation’s largest coalition of allies working to address, counter, and prevent anti-Muslim discrimination. For fifteen years, since our founding in the wake of the Islamophobic backlash to the Park51 Islamic community center in Manhattan, we have connected, equipped, and mobilized people of faith, largely from Christian and Jewish communities, to build a country where pluralism is a lived reality. Our work is rooted in the simple truth that anti-Muslim hate is not confined to Muslim communities. When it rises, it threatens us all. And this same notion applies when addressing any form of bigotry. 

Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott took a dramatic step targeting the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organizations, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). In his proclamation, Abbott invokes long-standing anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, returning us to times when government overtly targeted Americans such as Catholics, Jews, and LDS communities, due to their faith. Though he lacks the constitutional authority to advance this decision, Governor Abbott’s proclamation could set the stage for other government leaders to echo a similar measure on the federal level. It has already been used to try to prevent a Muslim schoolteacher from testifying before the state’s school board. This fits a familiar pattern in which Muslim organizations are targeted not because they present a credible threat but because they engage in advocacy, community organizing, and civil rights litigation.

All of us, including American Muslims, want safety and freedom. By labeling an established civil rights organization a terrorist group, Abbott is attempting to delegitimize one of the loudest voices working to ensure that our democracy works for all, including American Muslims. In doing so, he is sending a message to all minoritized communities that the state can use its power to punish anyone who challenges its political agenda.

Abbott’s actions must be understood within a much larger and older story about American democracy. Since the founding of this country, efforts to expand democratic participation have often been met with backlash from those who benefit from exclusion. We remember all too well the story of former Alabama Governor George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door and blocking Black students from entering simply because of their race. It is a shameful part of our history, and Governor Abbott’s proclamation is a modern chapter in that same story. It is another attempt by an elected official to wield government authority against communities that want equal protection, equal dignity, and equal participation in public life.

From the abolition of slavery to the civil rights movement to the movement at Standing Rock, the pattern is clear. When people come together to organize to make American democracy live up to its promise for all, government power can be abused to suppress them. Today, standing with American Muslims is part of that long lineage. This moment is a recognition that although the targeted communities may change, the struggle to protect democracy remains consistent. I am proud to work alongside others to help promote a democracy that is inclusive to all people, regardless of one’s faith or background. 

Abbott’s attack on CAIR should trouble every American who believes in fairness, democracy, and religious freedom. Interfaith communities play a critical role in modeling pluralism, working across our differences, and standing up for democracy. We should not accept a country where minority communities can be targeted for their faith, or denied their full dignity.

At Shoulder to Shoulder, we advocate for a country that’s inclusive for all. We will speak out with one voice when our fellow community members are targeted with hateful rhetoric and smeared with harmful labels. And we will speak out even more loudly when this hateful rhetoric is enshrined in the policies of any government body. As Americans, we come from diverse backgrounds and hold diverse perspectives, and we are grateful for our First Amendment rights that allow us to debate those beliefs in the public square. The moment we allow those rights to be undermined for one community among us, we undermine them for us all. Defending the First Amendment rights of our American Muslim neighbors is essential to defending the rights of everyone.

Nina Fernando is the Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign.

The views and beliefs expressed in this post and all Interfaith Alliance blogs are those held by the author of each respective piece. To learn more about the organizational views, policies and positions of Interfaith Alliance on any issues, please contact info@interfaithalliance.org.

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