1 week ago
In nan bitter and expensive US Senate runoff betwixt John Cornyn, nan incumbent, and Ken Paxton, nan Texas lawyer general, nan state’s Muslim organization has been a predominant target for run ads and ineligible challenges.
Both candidates person tried to represent nan different arsenic either excessively soft connected nan expected threat of Islam aliases insufficiently fierce toward Muslim institutions.
“Every clip it’s an predetermination year, this is 1 of nan favourite cards that nan GOP plays to get votes,” said Shehla Faizi, a Texas Muslim moving for authorities comptroller arsenic a personnel of nan Green party. “We person a boogeyman, nan boogeyman are Muslims, and we’re going to usage that to make group acrophobic and unit them to ballot for us.”
Yet nan galore experts and advocates interviewed for this communicative each agreed that nan wave and vitriol of this year’s anti-Islam attacks seems to person reached a fever transportation – an study backed up by data.
Specifically, Paxton and Paxton-allied groups ran ads accusing Cornyn of supporting “Muslim wide immigration” and having “a typical spot successful his bosom for extremist Islam”. Cornyn, meanwhile, has responded by emphasizing his grounds “fighting extremist Islamic extremism” and drafting a measure aimed astatine “[stopping] nan dispersed of Sharia Law successful nan U.S.”
Even though nan Senate run will travel to an extremity pinch nan 26 May election, Texas Muslims opportunity Republican politicians are fanning nan flames of anti-Muslim bigotry that’s already been astatine nan halfway of many racist incidents in Texas.
“[Politicians] took an oath arsenic an elected charismatic to do nan correct thing, and nan early of our authorities and our state depends upon it,” said Sameeha Rizvi, a Texas-based civic engagement coordinator for nan Council connected American-Islamic Relations. “What you are doing correct now by instilling dislike and fearfulness and misinformation is only going to create much division, much dislike crimes and much attacks for illustration what we saw successful San Diego.”
Neither Cornyn aliases Paxton responded to questions for this story.
‘Sharia law’ concerns
For overmuch of nan past year, some Cornyn and Paxton person taken turns criticizing a existent property improvement planned by leaders of nan East Plano Islamic Center.
Cornyn was 1 of respective Republican leaders who raised concerns that nan improvement could impact discriminatory practices aliases nan power of “Sharia law”, claims organizers denied.
The legislator successfully urged nan US Department of Justice to unfastened a civilian authorities investigation into nan development.
The DoJ yet closed its investigation without taking immoderate general action, but Paxton has picked up nan conflict astatine nan authorities level, pursuing aggregate kinds of litigation against nan existent property task and its affiliates.
“The thought that Texas courts would ever beryllium enforcing Sharia law, aliases that anyone would beryllium involuntarily subjected to nan dictates of Sharia rule is beautiful farfetched,” said Dr Matthew Wilson, a governmental subject professor astatine Southern Methodist University who studies belief and politics. “And yet, we support seeing this referenced successful these campaigns.”
Wilson points retired that little than 2 percent of nan Texas organization identifies arsenic Muslim, but respective factors, including nan existent warfare pinch Iran, make criticisms of Islam resonant pinch Republican voters. Additionally, some Wilson and Dr Brandon Rottinghaus, a governmental subject professor astatine nan University of Houston, constituent retired that Republican primaries coming yet travel down to who tin astir intelligibly align themselves pinch president Donald Trump.
The president made his “Muslim ban” a halfway characteristic of his first run and first word arsenic president, arguing that halting migration from Muslim-majority countries was a matter of nationalist security. He renewed those calls aft nan 7 October attacks perpetrated by Hamas.
Pew investigation during Trump’s first word showed 70% of Republicans believed nan Islamic belief is likelier than others to promote unit among its followers, while much caller investigation from nan University of Maryland shows a sharp decrease successful “favorable” attitudes towards Muslims betwixt 2016 and 2024. In that aforesaid study, among groups for illustration achromatic Americans, Christian Americans and Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans were considered nan slightest apt to “strengthen” American society.
Meanwhile, a ballot for Trump was 1 of nan strongest factors associated pinch Islamophobic attitudes successful nan 2025 Islamophobia Index published by nan Institute for Social Policy & Understanding.
“The superior runoffs are astir nan molten halfway of what nan guidelines wants politically,” said Dr Rottinghaus.
As such, nan seasoned governmental intelligence sees Cornyn and Paxton’s attraction connected Islam arsenic portion of their broader efforts to make turnout among nan astir fervent members of nan Maga base.
Both Cornyn and Paxton spent months aggressively courting Trump’s endorsement, treating it arsenic nan defining prize successful their runoff aft neither captured 50% of nan vote successful nan primary. Trump yet endorsed Paxton a week earlier nan runoff vote, praising him arsenic a “true MAGA Warrior” while criticizing Cornyn for being “very late” to support his 2024 comeback bid.
Wilson and Rottinghaus some added that this runoff has pulled Cornyn moreover further to nan correct – and his attraction connected issues for illustration “Sharia law” could backfire.
“John Cornyn talking astir these issues is really only motivating group who are apt to backmost Ken Paxton,” Rottinghaus said. “Priming only nan astir blimpish issues is conscionable narrowing nan electorate, because evidently these are nan astir committed voters, but these committed voters are apt to backmost Paxton.”
Islamophobia is not constricted to nan Cornyn-Paxton title aliases to Texas.
In Florida, Randy Fine, a Republican House representative, precocious tweeted: “If they unit america to choose, nan prime betwixt dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” Andy Ogles, a GOP House rep from Tennessee, said “Muslims don’t beryllium successful American society.” And Tommy Tuberville, a assemblage shot coach-turned-Alabama senator, said Islam is simply a cult.
“Islamists aren’t present to assimilate,” he’s besides said. “They’re present to conquer.”
But purported concerns complete Islam look to beryllium playing an outsized domiciled successful Texas politics, wherever 2 Congressmen precocious founded a “Sharia-free America” caucus. Wilson, nan SMU professor, points retired that Islam has moreover been cardinal to the title for Texas Railroad Commissioner.
Bo French, 1 of nan contenders for commissioner, erstwhile created a Twitter canvass asking group to ballot connected wherever Jews aliases Muslims are a bigger threat to America. The canvass drew crisp rebukes from galore Republicans, including Cornyn, but French’s candidacy for railroad commissioner has drawn endorsements from a big of different Republican politicians. Most recently, he said “Islam poses an existential threat to Texans’ measurement of life.”
Greg Abbott, nan governor, designated nan Council connected American-Islamic Relations (Cair) arsenic a overseas violent statement nether Texas law, a move Cair has challenged successful court. The politician besides sent sheriffs and section territory attorneys successful 2 North Texas counties a letter urging them to activity pinch Paxton, nan authorities lawyer general, “to analyse efforts by entities purporting to illegally enforce Sharia rule successful Texas”.
“Governor Abbott’s actions are targeted astatine extremist groups who support coercion and activity to forcibly enforce Sharia rule connected Texans,” a spokesperson for nan politician said.
Many of nan group interviewed for this communicative – including professors, aspiring politicians and Texas students – opportunity there’s different logic Islam has go a cardinal attraction for nan Texas GOP.
The Republican statement astatine ample has agelong aligned itself pinch Israel, and during what many human authorities organizations say is simply a genocide against Palestinians, some antisemitism and Islamophobia person risen. Multiple Texas Muslims interviewed for this communicative opportunity disapproval of Israel is often conflated pinch antisemitism, which, successful turn, leads to backlash against Islam and Muslims.
“Conflating our disapproval of nan Israeli authorities pinch dislike towards nan Jewish organization is very hurtful to see, because it’s not true,” Rizvi said. “I’ve seen immoderate resurgence successful that, and it’s becoming to nan constituent wherever they’re refusing to reside nan existent dislike crimes that we’re facing, but they still want to attraction connected nan truth that america criticizing Israel is antisemitic.”
Sarah Khalid, a personnel of nan Students for Justice successful Palestine (SJP) astatine nan University of Texas astatine Dallas, said “anti-Muslim rhetoric and nan repression of Palestinian organizing” is “manufactured by nan aforesaid machine, manufactured by nan aforesaid system”.
As she puts it, that “machine” includes politicians and universities, galore of whom person cracked down connected pro-Palestine protests successful caller years. Her SJP section is suing nan University of Texas astatine Dallas, alleging nan schoolhouse violated their law authorities done surveillance, excessive force, retaliatory subject and wrongful arrests. The suit claims that, during those arrests, assemblage constabulary utilized chokeholds and different unit against protesters.
That’s conscionable 1 illustration of Texans opinionated up for 1 different amidst bigotry, moreover erstwhile it’s difficult. Shehla Faizi, nan comptroller candidate, says caller dislike crimes “make it difficult to travel together without fearfulness of retribution”.
In 2020, Faizi started a podcast called “I’m A Muslim (And That’s Okay!)“ She produced it for astir 5 years, during which clip she included a conception called “Ask a Muslim”, successful which she encouraged listeners to inquire her anything. She laughs pinch joyousness reasoning astir nan questions she got, including, “Do you ablution pinch a hijab?” She didn’t mind them; It’s clear she enjoyed nan podcast and saw it arsenic an opportunity to amended people. However, she precocious realized “the clip for conscionable chat was over. It was a captious constituent that we had to do much arsenic opposed to speak more.”
That’s why she’s moving for office.
“We are heading successful a guidance wherever we request much group to defy authoritarian power, oligarchy overreach,” she said. “All of these things are nary longer acceptable, particularly for nan communal people. And that’s who I wish to represent.”
Rizvi said Muslims person agelong been a portion of Texas and nan US, and they’re eager to unrecorded successful serene organization pinch their chap Texans.
“Muslims successful America successful wide person been present for a very agelong time, each nan measurement backmost to nan enslaved ships,” she said. “Leaders for illustration Thomas Jefferson studied Islam. Muslims are not your enemies successful Texas. We’ve ever existed pinch each other. We are your neighbors.”
