Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched investigations into two school districts over their planned hosting of Islamic Games events, citing concerns about potential ties to organizations he’s designated as terrorist-affiliated.
The investigations target Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD for their negotiations to host events organized by the Islamic Games of North America, which Paxton claims are sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). “The spread of radical Islam in Texas must be stopped, and if school districts are continuing to promote or partner with organizations tied to an FTO, that ends now,” Paxton stated in a press release.
At the heart of the controversy is Governor Greg Abbott’s November 2025 designation of CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization, a move that prohibits state contracts and land purchases involving the group. That designation is currently being challenged in federal court.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has already canceled plans to host the Dallas Islamic Games at Colleyville Heritage High School following Abbott’s intervention. The governor had written to district officials, asserting that “Texans deserve immediate action to curb the spread of Islamic extremism, and public facilities funded by their tax dollars will not be utilized to host terrorist related groups.”
Why is this happening now? The investigations come amid a broader push by Texas officials to enforce Abbott’s controversial designation, which has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups who view it as religious discrimination.
Paxton has demanded documents from Grapevine-Colleyville ISD related to their negotiations for hosting the Islamic Games, following Abbott’s call to strip CAIR of its nonprofit status in Texas. The attorney general has doubled down on his position, repeating that “the spread of radical Islam in Texas must be stopped.”
The legal implications extend beyond these specific events. Paxton recently issued an opinion linking CAIR ties to school voucher disqualifications under Texas terror law, a move CAIR has challenged as religious discrimination.
The Houston Connection
The second district under investigation, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, has been planning to host the 2026 Houston Islamic Games at Bridgeland High School. Governor Abbott has directly called on the district to sever these ties, noting that “It has come to my attention that Bridgeland High School intends to offer public school facilities to host the 2026 Houston Islamic Games.”
Critics of the state’s actions see a troubling pattern of targeting Muslim organizations without sufficient evidence of terrorist connections. CAIR, founded in 1994, has long maintained that it is a civil rights organization advocating for Muslims in America.
Still, Texas officials appear determined to enforce the terrorist designation despite ongoing legal challenges. The investigations into these school districts mark the first major enforcement actions targeting educational institutions under the state’s controversial designation.
For Texas’s Muslim students and families caught in the middle of this political and legal battle, the cancellations represent more than just lost venues—they signal an intensifying climate of scrutiny that many worry unfairly associates their faith with extremism.
