Debate over “Sharia law” has intensified in Texas in 2026. Governor Greg Abbott has called for a ban on Sharia, while Senator Ted Cruz has also spoken publicly about the issue. The Republican Party of Texas adopted a resolution titled “Don’t Sharia Our Texas,” and several lawmakers have proposed measures addressing Sharia, Islamic schools and religious practices. Muslim Americans and Islamic scholars have pushed back against the characterization of Sharia as a parallel legal system, describing it instead as a broad framework of religious and ethical guidance.
The proposals range from restrictions on the use of foreign or religious law in courts to measures concerning Islamic institutions and religious practices. At the federal level, more than 60 Republican members of Congress have joined the Sharia-Free America Caucus, while several anti-Sharia bills have been introduced. Most of these proposals have not become law. Critics, including Muslim civic leaders, argue that such measures can portray ordinary religious practices as a threat to the American legal system.
The controversy has also extended into Texas education. In September, the State Board of Education approved revised social-studies standards containing new material on Islam, early Islamic history and “radical Islam.” Muslim Texans and some academics criticized aspects of the revisions, while supporters defended them as efforts to provide students with information about ideology and history. The developments have made Islam and the place of Muslims in American society an increasingly visible subject in Texas politics.
Supporters of the measures say they are intended to protect U.S. and Texas law from competing systems of authority. Muslim organizations and scholars, meanwhile, argue that religious beliefs and practices should not be treated as evidence of political allegiance or opposition to American law. Critics of the political debate say that using Islam as a campaign and political issue risks deepening divisions around religion and identity, while its supporters see the issue as one of legal and constitutional protection. The debate reflects a broader question over how Islam and Muslim identity are being discussed in contemporary American politics.