Full Breakdown
SMU Cancels “Unapologetically Muslim” Youth Conference After State Terrorist Designation
9/3/2026, 12:36:44 AM
Core Event
Southern Methodist University (SMU) announced the cancellation of a youth leadership symposium organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas (CAIR-Texas). The event, aimed at high-school students and rising college freshmen and sophomores, was to feature interactive workshops, mock testimony, and “power mapping” exercises. SMU said the decision was made because Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s proclamation designates CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist” and “transnational criminal” organizations, a designation that the university deemed inconsistent with its policies.
Background & Context
In November 2025, Governor Abbott issued a proclamation labeling the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist entities. The state designation, while not a federal classification, bars the groups from acquiring real property interests in Texas. CAIR-Texas responded with a lawsuit filed in federal court seeking to block the proclamation, arguing that the move violates constitutional protections and lacks statutory support.
Opposition and Legal Action
The organization’s lawsuit remains pending, and a parallel youth conference is scheduled at the University of Houston-Downtown, though its status has not been confirmed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” — Gov. Greg Abbott
- “These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.” — Gov. Greg Abbott
- “CAIR-Texas and the Texas Muslim community are standing up for our constitutional rights by directly confronting Greg Abbott’s lawless attack on our civil rights,” — CAIR-Texas
