(MENAFN) The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) criticized Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday for his “increasingly desperate and deranged” call to investigate so-called “sharia courts,” labeling the claim a long-standing anti-Muslim conspiracy theory, according to reports.

In its statement, CAIR-Texas argued that attempting to ban “sharia” would be equivalent to banning Jewish halacha or Catholic canon law, calling Abbott’s move a “direct assault” on religious freedom. “Greg Abbott’s disregard for the First Amendment, his obsession with Texas Muslims and his dedication to protecting the Israeli government from criticism apparently knows no bounds,” the group added.

The organization noted that this latest directive follows multiple failed efforts by Abbott to penalize Texans for criticizing Israel or refusing to sign pro-Israel pledges. “Now, the day after issuing an unconstitutional and error-riddled proclamation targeting the state’s largest Muslim civil rights group, he is ordering Texas district attorneys to investigate imaginary ‘sharia courts,’” the statement said.

CAIR-Texas accused Abbott of spreading “debunked conspiracy theories” and reaffirmed its commitment to defending Muslims in Texas from what it described as his “desperate” attempts to undermine the First Amendment.

Abbott’s order claims that unnamed “Sharia tribunals” in North Texas are “masquerading” as legal courts and issuing rulings that bypass US law. The directive comes shortly after he issued a proclamation declaring CAIR a “foreign terrorist organization.”

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