Texas AG Ken Paxton investigates school district over Islamic Games athletic event

Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jan 29, 2026

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FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is demanding information from the Grapevine-Colleyville school district over its involvement with the Islamic Games of North America.

The Islamic Games athletic event had been scheduled for May 9-10 at Colleyville Heritage High School until the district ended negotiations last week, saying it had learned a sponsor of the event, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, had been declared a terrorist organization by Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Islamic Games have been operating since 1989. Events include soccer, tennis, basketball, volleyball, cricket, flag football, track and field and archery.

Grapevine-Colleyville had been renting its schools and fields to the group since 2023.

“The Islamic Games has consistently maintained lawful, professional, and constructive relationships with the municipalities, facilities, and venues that have hosted its events, as well as with community organizations in the states where the Games occur,” organizers said in a statement.

Paxton also targeted the Cypress-Fairbanks school district in Houston, which had planned to rent its facilities for the 2026 Houston Islamic Games. Abbott called on the school district to sever ties with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“Voluminous documents detail the dangers posed to Texans by the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, and their affiliates,” Abbott said. “Regardless of the facade CAIR attempts to portray in press releases, CAIR cannot be allowed to use its ‘nonprofit’ status as a shield for sponsoring terror, advancing radical Islamism in Texas, or fronting for the Muslim Brotherhood. The same goes for other entities pretending to engage in charity by day, while sponsoring terror by night. Under Texas law, ‘the Texas Attorney General is the only elected official charged with regulating’ nonprofits that may be violating the law, including by examining their records and stripping their corporate charters. You have used these tools before; I urge you to use them now to combat CAIR.”

Paxton said he is looking for ties between school districts and Islamic Games of North America and any connection with CAIR.

He asked that the districts turn over communications, contracts and related documents between the school districts, the Islamic Games of North America and CAIR or its affiliated chapters

“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.”

A GCISD spokesperson told the Star-Telegram that the district is aware of the investigation.

“We can confirm that Grapevine-Colleyville ISD received a public information request earlier today from the Office of the Attorney General and will respond accordingly under the Texas Public Information Act,” the spokesman said.

At a GCISD board meeting on Jan 22, Adrian Higginbotham, a parent of a GCISD student, spoke out about the Ten Commandments posters in classes and said that the district should be a natural ground for all students.

“This poster combined with consideration of the Bluebonnet curriculum, school board prayers, and the cancellation of Islamic games sends a clear exclusionary message that this district only values one specific religion,” Higginbotham said.

In a statement, Islamic Games, said it is ‘deeply concerned’ about the hate that is being directed towards kids’ sports events.

“In 2023, CAIR-New Jersey, a civil rights organization, donated complimentary drawstring bags, which were distributed to athletes as part of event materials,” the organization said in the release. “Although CAIR has never been a sponsor of the Islamic Games, we want to make clear that we reject the negative and false attacks on them.”

Previously, Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of the DFW chapter of CAIR, told the Star-Telegram that ‘Muslims are like the political football’.

“So, today Muslims are like the political football that people kick around when they’re trying to get elected or when they’re trying to do something that they want to do, most of it is political,” Carroll said. “Greg Abbott called CAIR a foreign terrorist or whatever, and we are neither foreign nor terrorists. We live here, we are from here, and all the work we do is here.”

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