The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Texans for a Conservative Majority PAC, demanding that the political group remove advertisements it says falsely attribute political endorsements to CAIR and portray the Muslim civil rights organization as a foreign terrorist organization.
CAIR-Texas announced the letter, alleging the PAC's advertisements misrepresent the organization's political activities and status.
The letter demands that the PAC immediately stop distributing ads falsely attributing endorsements or electoral activity to CAIR or its Texas chapters. It also calls on the group to stop conflating CAIR with CAIR Action, remove existing advertisements containing the alleged misrepresentations, and avoid claims that CAIR is a foreign terrorist organization.
CAIR-Texas additionally requests written confirmation of compliance within five business days of the PAC receiving the letter.
The organization says it is a nonprofit civil rights group recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under federal law, CAIR-Texas does not endorse or oppose candidates for public office.
CAIR Action, by contrast, is a separate Section 501(c)(4) organization that independently engages in political advocacy and electoral activities, according to CAIR-Texas.
"CAIR has never been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. Department of State," the organization said in a statement. "State and local political proclamations do not constitute federal FTO designations."
CAIR-Texas argued that political advertisements should provide voters with accurate information and said portraying the organization as endorsing candidates or as a terrorist organization misleads the public.
The organization's stated mission is to protect civil rights, promote understanding of Islam, advance justice, and empower American Muslims.
