Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a recent podcast with conservative commentator Glenn Beck on the latter’s webcast ‘Glenn Beck Program’ said that a “total ban” on Sharia Law in Texas is on the horizon.
“Texas already has laws against Sharia Law [in place]…in March we have a Republican primary coming up…there is a ballot proposition seeking the complete ban on Sharia Law that voters can vote on,” Abbott said, adding that he expected the measure to pass overwhelmingly.
Abbott’s remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing legal and political battles involving Muslim advocacy groups, particularly the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Abbott’s move against CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood
In November last year, Abbott designated both organisations as foreign terrorist organisations, a move CAIR characterised as defamatory and without legal basis.
This designation has prompted lawsuits from the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin chapters of CAIR, which argue that the proclamation violates their First Amendment rights, including freedom of religion and speech.
The governor said that parts of CAIR’s original lawsuit were recently amended, with plaintiffs dropping several key assertions, including claims of compliance with federal and state law and denials of affiliation with foreign groups. Abbott interpreted those revisions as a kind of concession, suggesting they implied the groups were not in compliance and posed a national security threat.
‘Sharia compounds in Texas’
In addition to the terrorist designation, Abbott has supported state legislation aimed at preventing the creation of “Sharia compounds” and other developments that he argues would operate under religious law rather than the law of Texas.
Last September, he ratified a bill banning certain residential property developments like the proposed East Plano Islamic Center community from enacting Sharia-based governance. He also directed law enforcement agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety and local prosecutors, to investigate efforts to enforce Sharia law within the state.
‘End Islam in Texas’
Last year, a Republican politician in Texas triggered widespread outrage after releasing a video in which she burned a copy of the Quran and called for Islam to be eradicated from the state. Valentina Gomez, who was contesting from Texas’ 31st Congressional District, had posted the video on social media, declaring her mission was to “end Islam in Texas.”
According to several reports, an estimated 313,000 to 422,000 Muslims reside in Texas.