Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is demanding documents from Grapevine-Colleyville ISD related to its negotiations with the Islamic Games of North America to host an event at Colleyville Heritage High School in May.
Paxton has alleged the Islamic Games organization is sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which Gov. Greg Abbott designated a foreign terrorist organization in November 2025.
“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 said in a press release. “I will ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are not materially supporting activities by Islamist terrorists in violation of Texas law.”
The move comes the same day Abbott wrote a letter to Paxton demanding he use his authority to strip CAIR of its nonprofit status and "eliminate the ability of CAIR and its affiliates to operate in Texas."
Salaudeen Nausrudeen, president of Islamic Games, told the Fort Worth Report last week his organization is not sponsored by CAIR. The organization received one in-kind donation of drawstring bags from CAIR New Jersey, which doesn't constitute sponsorship or endorsement, Nausrudeen said.
KERA reached out to Islamic Games for additional comment and will update this story with any response.
CAIR’s Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin chapters sued Abbott in federal court last year over the terrorist designation. In response, Paxton argued in the lawsuit those specific chapters are not named in Abbott's designation, only CAIR national.
"In response to CAIR-Texas' ongoing lawsuit against Governor Abbott's unconstitutional proclamation targeting our civil rights group, Attorney General Paxton declared that the proclamation does not even apply to CAIR-Texas," CAIR-Texas said in a statement to KERA. "That means these latest public attacks on CAIR-Texas make even less sense."
KERA has reached out to Paxton's office for clarification and will update this story with any response.
CAIR-Texas also denounced the investigation into Islamic Games in their statement to KERA.
"The people of Texas elected Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton to serve them, not to attack a city council for hosting Muslim student athletes or to smear the broader Texas Muslim community," the statement read. "Mr. Paxton and Mr. Abbott are tripping over themselves to see who can express the most hatred towards Texas Muslims and their institutions."
In an email to KERA News, the school district acknowledged it received a public information request on Wednesday from the Attorney General's office and will respond accordingly under the rules of the law.
Nicole Lyons, a spokesperson for the district, also said GCISD received a facility rental request for the 2026 Islamic Games, but hadn't finalized anything before being informed on Jan. 19 about an alleged connection between CAIR and the event.
"Thus, GCISD provided notice that it is severing the negotiations for the use of District properties for the 2026 Islamic Games," read a statement provided by Lyons.
Paxton’s demand is the latest in a series of actions targeting Muslim groups over the past year.
A planned Muslim-focused housing development called The Meadow, formerly East Plano Islamic Center, has been bogged down in state investigations that have so far found no wrongdoing.
Top Texas Republicans called for the resignation of Bo French, former Tarrant County GOP chairman and current candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, in July 2025 after he made an anti-Muslim and antisemitic poll on X. French apologized, but a month later made anti-Muslim comments about Democratic Texas House Rep. Salman Bhojani, who represents parts of Arlington.
Abbott has also repeatedly said organizations like CAIR and Islamic mediation groups are trying to bring Texas under Sharia, a set of Islamic religious laws.
Abbott's letter to Paxton on Wednesday urged him to take more direct action against CAIR, like claiming the nonprofit's property.
"You have used these tools before; I urge you to use them to combat CAIR," he said.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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