TEXAS: In a highly unusual and politically charged move, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “terrorist” and “transnational criminal organisations”, effectively banning both groups and anyone associated with them from purchasing land in the state.

The declaration was made despite the fact that neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor CAIR appears on the United States government’s official list of terrorist organisations. CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group, condemned Abbott’s action as baseless, unconstitutional and an open display of Islamophobia.

The organisation accused the governor of weaponising conspiracy theories to target Muslim communities, warning that any attempt to formalise this proclamation into policy would be met with legal challenge.

Observers say the governor’s announcement cannot be separated from the controversy surrounding EPIC City, a proposed Muslim-led residential development near Dallas.

Abbott and other Republican officials had previously opposed the project, passing legislation against so-called “Sharia compounds”, despite the absence of any evidence suggesting the development sought to impose Islamic law or operate outside state regulations. Federal civil rights investigators also closed their inquiry into the project without filing charges.

Critics argue that linking CAIR to the Muslim Brotherhood revives a long-discredited narrative used to undermine Muslim community institutions and restrict their right to organise or collectively own property.

Republican state representative Cole Hefner welcomed Abbott’s decision, calling it necessary “to keep the state safe”. But Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani, one of the few Muslim lawmakers in the state, denounced the move as an attack on religious freedom.

He said Muslim Texans deserve the same dignity, trust and civil liberties as every other community, urging the governor to reverse what he called a harmful and discriminatory proclamation.

Abbott’s designation has intensified fears among civil rights advocates, who warn that the move could pave the way for further restrictions on Muslim civic life in Texas.

Legal experts maintain that the authority to classify groups as foreign terrorist organisations lies exclusively with the federal government, raising serious constitutional questions around the governor’s unilateral declaration.

Muslim organisations and human rights groups say the proclamation reflects an escalating political effort to marginalise Muslims under the guise of state security, marking what they describe as a troubling new chapter in Islamophobic policymaking in the United States.

Explosive weapons killed or injured children at record levels last year, as wars increasingly move into urban areas, Save the Children said in a report published Thursday.

Nearly 12,000 children were killed or injured in conflict last year worldwide, said the UK-based charity, citing UN figures. This was the highest number since records began in 2006, and was up by 42% on the 2020 total.

Previously, children in war zones were more likely to die from malnutrition, disease or failing health systems.

But as conflicts, such as those in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, take place more and more in urban areas, children are being caught up as bombs and drones strike hospitals, schools and residential areas, Save the Children said.

More than 70% of child casualties in war zones in 2024 were caused by explosive weapons, such as missiles and grenades, up from an average of around 59% in the period from 2020 to 2024, according to the report.

“The world is witnessing the deliberate destruction of childhood — and the evidence is undeniable,” said Narmina Strishenets, senior conflict and humanitarian advocacy advisor at Save the Children UK.

“Children are paying the highest price in today’s wars… Missiles are falling where children sleep, play and learn — turning the very places that should be the safest, like their homes and schools, into death traps.”

Children’s smaller bodies and developing organs means injuries from blasts can be much more severe and recovery can be more complex and prolonged.

“Children are far more vulnerable to explosive weapons than adults,” said Paul Reavley, a consultant paediatric emergency physician and co-founder of the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership, a coalition between Save the Children UK and medical specialists.

“Their anatomy, physiology, behaviour and psychosocial needs make them disproportionately affected.”

The conflicts that claimed the most casualties among children in 2024 were in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine and Syria.

The deadliest conflict in recent years for children is in Gaza, where 20,000 children have been killed since Israel launched its war on the territory in retaliation for Palestininan resistance group Hamas’s October 2023 attack, the report said.

US President Donald Trump announced that he will meet New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday, marking the first encounter between the Republican leader and the democratic socialist who won this month’s mayoral election.

The two figures have previously been critical of one another, with Trump supporting Mamdani’s rival, Andrew Cuomo, during the campaign.

Meanwhile, Mamdani has criticized Trump administration policies, including immigration crackdowns and the handling of protests against US support for Israel amid the Gaza conflict.

Trump confirmed the meeting on social media, stating, “We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st.”

Earlier in the week, Mamdani told reporters that his team had contacted the White House to arrange the discussion. “My team reached out to the White House to fulfill a commitment I made to New Yorkers over the course of this campaign,” he said on Monday.

Mamdani’s transition team has not immediately responded to Trump’s announcement on Wednesday.

Trump has repeatedly turned the powers of the presidency on political rivals. During the New York City mayoral election campaign, Trump threatened to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding from the city if Mamdani won.

Mamdani made countering the 79-year-old Republican president’s actions in the city, especially on immigration, a centrepiece of his successful campaign.

Mamdani will be sworn in as New York City mayor on January 1, 2026.