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.