Texas at centre of Republican midterms push against 'Islamist influence' and Sharia
During a rally in Michigan last weekend, US President Donald Trump declared that Muslim-American senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed was a “jihadist” looking to implement “Sharia law” in the country. “I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” Mr Trump told supporters in Port Huron. “Not going to let that happen.” No credible evidence exists to…
In the latest push ahead of the Texas midterm elections, Republican lawmakers in the Lone Star State are taking a stand against what they deem as Islamist influence and the potential implementation of Sharia law. US President Donald Trump, in a rally in Michigan, denounced Democratic senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, accusing him of being a "jihadist" with intentions to bring Sharia law to the United States. However, there is no credible evidence supporting such allegations against El-Sayed.
The Republican strategy to combat the perceived threat of Islamism has intensified in Texas. In December, Texas representatives Keith Self and Chip Roy launched the Sharia-Free America Caucus aiming to ban any implementation of Sharia in the United States. The caucus has since grown to include around 70 members, with a quarter of them hailing from Texas.
Texas Republican legislators have also introduced federal legislation to prevent groups like the Muslim Brotherhood from operating in the country and introduced bills to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. The state's governor, Greg Abbott, has called Epic City, a planned residential development in Texas with a mosque, religious school and assisted living center, a "Muslim-only compound" governed by Sharia.
In response, Texas has halted any construction of the project and launched investigations into it, including criminal investigations.
The rise in scrutiny of Islamist influence in Texas is attributed to growing unease over ideological forces and networks with ties to foreign states and criminal activity. Sam Westrop, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, warned that if Islamist groups manage to radicalize Muslim communities in Texas, "theocratic, illiberal, anti-Semitic, anti-West" ideas could turn into violence.
Critics view the accusations of Muslim Brotherhood ties and attempts to implement Sharia as a response to Muslims' growing political participation.
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