Quickly following Gov. Greg Abbott’s designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (the organization the governor has classified as a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal entity) as such in Texas, State Board of Education member Brandon Hall publicly questioned why a representative of the terrorist-designated organization was being allowed to openly speak on curriculum matters.
Hall’s challenge raised the question of why an organization the governor has formally designated a foreign terrorist entity was offering input on Texas’ public school curriculum.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Abbott signed a November 18 proclamation that named the organization and the Muslim Brotherhood foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. The designation bars both groups from purchasing land in Texas and authorizes Attorney General Ken Paxton to take legal action to shut them down.
During the SBOE meeting, Hall pointed directly to the governor’s proclamation and asked whether individuals affiliated with a designated foreign terrorist organization should be allowed to address the board.
“Yesterday the governor designated CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization. Is there anything in our rules preventing leadership of a foreign terrorist organization from testifying before our board?” Hall asked.
Board staff reviewed the order and said it did not block individuals affiliated with the terrorist-designated organization from offering public comment. A representative of the organization then addressed the board.
Although Hall referred to the appearance as “testifying,” the individual was speaking during the board’s public comment period rather than providing formal testimony. Hall left the room after the speaker identified herself as the operations manager for the terrorist-designated organization’s Austin chapter before offering curriculum recommendations during the public comment period.
While the appearance occurred during the board’s public comment period rather than as formal testimony, the coordinated statements from multiple chapter leaders of the foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization designated by Gov. Abbott suggest an organized effort to influence the curriculum discussion.
A separate statement from Mustafaa Carroll, the executive director of the terrorist-designated organization’s DFW office, further illustrated the group’s organizational involvement in the SBOE process. “My testimony yesterday at SBOE was well received as I emphasized the need to ensure incorporating the contribution and struggles of American Muslims into public schools’ social studies curriculum, and that it is necessary for providing students a richer, more truthful, and more empowering education,” Carroll said.
Hall later told The Dallas Express that he viewed the organization’s participation as inappropriate following the governor’s designation.
“I called out the leadership of CAIR and left the room because I refuse to listen to the input of the leaders of what has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization,” Hall said.
“The values of Islam and especially CAIR are not compatible with Texas values. I will always stand up to their attempts to influence our curriculum,” he added.
The Dallas Express reached out to the terrorist-designated organization’s DFW office for additional comment but did not receive a response.