Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials 鈥渟evered negotiations鈥� with an Islamic group seeking to host an all-ages sporting tournament at a local high school, a district spokesperson confirmed to the Fort Worth Report on Tuesday.
The decision came after school administrators were 鈥渕ade aware鈥� that one of the event鈥檚 sponsors, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, was designated a terrorist organization by the governor last year, GCISD spokesperson Nicole Lyons said in an email.
But organizers of the Islamic Games said CAIR 鈥渉as never been, and is not presently, a sponsor, partner, affiliate or supporter鈥� of the sports festival.
鈥淲e are deeply concerned that a sporting event for children is being targeted,鈥� Salaudeen Nausrudeen, president of Islamic Games, said in an email to the Report. 鈥淚t is our hope that better minds prevail.鈥�
Islamic Games officials requested to use the Colleyville Heritage High School to host its Dallas chapter鈥檚 gaming event in May, Lyons said. The facility reservation was in negotiation and not yet finalized before district officials learned Monday of CAIR鈥檚 alleged sponsorship, she said.
Colleyville Heritage hosted the Islamic Games in and , according to social media posts from the organization.
The Islamic Games is North America鈥檚 largest Muslim sports and athletic event, according to its .
The annual event, which takes place in cities across the country, brings together children and athletes of all ages for two days of basketball, soccer, pickleball and other games, Nausrudeen said.
Criticism of the Islamic Games speaks to the politicized nature of the relationship between Texas politicians and Muslim communities, said Mustafaa Carroll, interim executive director of CAIR鈥檚 Dallas-Fort Worth chapter.
鈥淭hose kids that are trying to just have to play ball together, haven鈥檛 done anything to contribute to Islamophobia,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淎ll they鈥檙e doing is living, and that鈥檚 the problem. And these people won鈥檛 allow us to even live peacefully in this country.鈥�
Confirmation that the event was canceled came about four hours after Keller Mayor Armin Mizani denouncing the 2026 Islamic Games, specifically highlighting CAIR鈥檚 sponsorship. In a press release from his campaign for state office, Mizani called on GCISD trustees to 鈥渞ectify the situation.鈥�
鈥淚 am grateful for the quick and responsive leadership from the GCISD board of trustees who after learning of the event鈥檚 sponsor made the decision to cancel,鈥� Mizani said in a statement to the Report on Tuesday. 鈥淚n Texas, we do not wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to those who have been designated as a terrorist organization by the state or its governor.鈥�
In November, Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR and another international Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, as 鈥渇oreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.鈥� CAIR , stating on its website the institution 鈥渋s not and has never been an affiliate, offshoot, chapter, or agent of any foreign movement, organization, political party or government.鈥�
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in the country, according to the nonprofit鈥檚 website.
Lyons cited a Texas law prohibiting governmental entities from entering contracts with companies identified as terrorist organizations as grounds for canceling negotiations for the event reservation.
Shannon Braun, president of the GCISD board of trustees, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
CAIR鈥檚 New Jersey chapter was one of more than 100 sponsors listed on the event鈥檚 website Monday, according to a snapshot of the page saved by the internet archive site Wayback Machine. CAIR was no longer listed on the event site as of Tuesday afternoon.
Brandon Hall, a Republican member of the State Board of Education who represents parts of Tarrant County including Grapevine and Colleyville, alleged in a that the Islamic Games was sponsored by CAIR.
He told the Report on Tuesday evening that 鈥渋t鈥檚 a little bit hard to believe鈥� that CAIR wasn鈥檛 originally an event sponsor after he saw the organization listed as such Monday.
鈥淎n organization with any ties to someone who鈥檚 been designated as a foreign terrorist organization should absolutely not be able to use school facilities, because that鈥檚 very concerning,鈥� Hall said.
Nausrudeen said CAIR鈥檚 New Jersey chapter made a 鈥渙ne-time, in-kind contribution consisting solely of complimentary drawstring bags, which were distributed to athletes as part of event materials,鈥� around 2023. He said the 鈥渋solated contribution鈥� did not 鈥渃onstitute sponsorship, endorsement, or partnership between parties.鈥�
The Islamic Games have had no relationship or engagement with the CAIR New Jersey chapter in any capacity since that time, he added.
Selaedin Maksut, executive director of CAIR鈥檚 New Jersey chapter, declined to comment, deferring to Carroll.
Had the event not been sponsored by CAIR, Mizani said, he likely would have had no issue with it.
In response to Nausrudeen鈥檚 statement that CAIR was not a sponsor, Mizani wrote via text that GCISD would be 鈥渢he best source鈥� for confirmation of event sponsors.
鈥淚 would assume they would know if they were or not,鈥� Mizani texted.
Hall said he plans to continue investigating the issue to get clarity on CAIR鈥檚 alleged sponsorship.
Even if CAIR didn鈥檛 sponsor the Islamic Games, Hall said, he would have a problem with the event because the Muslim sports festival 鈥渆xcludes everyone else.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 not aware of any churches that would exclude somebody based on who they are or what their background is,鈥� Hall said.
In his statement, Nausrudeen wrote that the Islamic Games are open to people of all faiths. The states that the games are open to 鈥渁ny individual or team regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.鈥�
Texas lawmakers allowing public school districts, charter schools and universities to permit religious groups to use their facilities for worship, sermons, services or assemblies.
A school or university can鈥檛 be penalized by any state agency, political subdivision or government entity for allowing religious groups to use their facilities after hours, according to the Texas Senate Research Center's .
Decisions to deny religiously affiliated groups from using such sites inhibits them 鈥渇rom participating in neutral, publicly available rental processes open to other nonprofit or civic groups 鈥� potentially infringing on Free Speech and Free Exercise protections under the First Amendment,鈥� according to the state鈥檚 analysis.
Targeting what he describes as the spread of 鈥渞adical Islam鈥� has been a key focus of Mizani鈥檚 campaign as he seeks the Republican nomination for Texas House District 98 in the .
At the start of the new year, Keller City Council members unanimously approved a resolution reaffirming their commitment to 鈥渃onstitutional governance and equal application of the law鈥� with a resolution , the moral code that guides those who practice Islam. The resolution, championed by Mizani, was revised to exclude mentions of sharia after pushback from residents and local Muslim leaders.
Mizani said the topic of Islam is 鈥渙ne of the talking points鈥� of his campaign in addition to lowering property taxes and strengthening border security.
鈥淲e鈥檙e simply speaking to issues that are of concern to residents of HD 98 and obviously of importance to the governor,鈥� Mizani said.
His stance on Islam falls in line with other GOP leaders across Tarrant County and the state.
In July, Tarrant GOP members and urging elected officials to declare 鈥渁n invasion of Islamic centers, associations and societies as a dangerous threat to the citizens of Texas and the United States of America and a dangerous threat to our way of life.鈥�
Also last summer, a former GOP chairman targeted Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Euless Democrat, on social media with multiple posts about Bhojani鈥檚 ethnicity and religion. The chairman called on federal officials to 鈥溾�� Bhojani, who is Muslim and Pakistani.
The same former chairman drew scrutiny throughout the summer for several incendiary social media posts about Muslim people, including a poll asking whether pose a 鈥渂igger threat to America.鈥�
Carroll said Muslims are a 鈥減olitical football,鈥� and scrutiny from politicians is 鈥渄oing a lot of damage that鈥檚 going to hurt everybody.鈥�
鈥淲e don鈥檛 even want them to play together. We think that鈥檚 a threat to everybody else,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just ludicrous. It鈥檚 crazy. And the people that are making these statements are crazy.鈥�
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
This first appeared on and is republished here under a .
