Court orders CAIR Muslim group to surrender donor records

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A federal court in Texas ruled Wednesday that several local chapters of Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, must hand over records of its donors and entities that received its money. The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas granted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for the records from CAIR’s Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and state branch. Abbott designated CAIR as a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization last November. A few days later, CAIR responded with a lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of the designations.

The governor then filed a motion to compel CAIR to hand over donor records in March. Abbott said Wednesday’s ruling marked progress in the legal fight against CAIR.

How has CAIR reacted? A CAIR spokesman told WORLD Thursday that Abbott’s celebration of the ruling was distorted. CAIR said Abbott wanted the names of every American who donated over the past decade, but only received access to the names of foreign donors for a three-year period who gave above a certain monetary amount. The organization called Abbott’s demands unconstitutional antics. The organization previously has characterized the governor’s proclamation as “defamatory and lawless” and accused him of being aligned with the state of Israel.

What records did the court’s ruling include?

CAIR must hand over records of any foreigner who donated $5,000 or more in a single year between 2021 and 2024.
The organization must also provide information for anyone it donated to in the same time span. CAIR was ordered to share documents on donees who received more than $2,500 in a single year.
It must also turn over details on CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad’s travel to nine countries between 2019 and 2023. The countries included Egypt, Gaza, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
CAIR must share any communications it had with someone from the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, or the Palestine Liberation Organization since January 1, 2025.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s report on CAIR’s lawsuit against Abbott.

Liz Lykins

Liz is a reporter covering breaking news and First Amendment freedoms for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and Spanish from Ball State University. She and her husband currently reside in Raleigh, N.C.