BUZZ
A student conference organized by CAIR-Texas to be held at Southern Methodist University has been canceled, with campus officials citing a proclamation from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as “terrorist” organizations.
The “Unapologetically Muslim: Youth in Action” conference for high school and college students had been slated for Sept. 19 at the Dallas-based campus.
In a statement provided to local media, a campus spokesperson said “SMU welcomes a wide range of organizations and perspectives to campus as part of our commitment to open inquiry and the free exchange of ideas.”
However, after “reviewing plans for an upcoming unaffiliated youth leadership symposium advertised to take place at SMU, the University has determined that permitting the event to take place on campus, given the State of Texas’ current designation of the symposium’s organizer, is inconsistent with our mission and related University policies. As a result, the event will not take place on campus,” the statement read.
The event was slated to include “interactive sessions,” “mock testimony,” and “power mapping,” according to an online flier. Power mapping is a community organizing tool used to influence political leaders by pressuring the people and systems around them.
“Designed for high school students and rising college freshmen and sophomores, MYLS brings together young Muslims from across Texas for a full day focused on leadership and civic engagement,” CAIR-Texas’ website states.
Another version of the youth conference is also slated to take place at the University of Houston-Downtown on the same day, according to the group. A UHD official has yet to respond to the Dallas Express about the status of that event.
Gov. Abbott’s November 2025 proclamation against CAIR dubs it a “foreign terrorist” organization.
“Abbott’s proclamation specifically names CAIR, not CAIR-Texas or individual Texas chapters. The proclamation also states that specified Property Code provisions apply to the designated organizations ‘and their affiliates and members,'” the Dallas Express reported, adding that CAIR-Texas is battling the designation in court.
The Christian Post reported that SMU has a Muslim Student Association but it is “not clear whether the MSA was involved in planning or coordinating the CAIR event.”
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