Texas Scorecard By Brandon Waltens November 19, 2025
The push comes amid heightened scrutiny over Islamist influence and institutions in Texas.Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on law enforcement officials across North Texas to launch investigations into what he says may be illegal sharia tribunals operating as rogue courts in Collin and Dallas counties.
In a letter sent to local district attorneys, sheriffs, the Texas attorney general, and the Department of Public Safety, Abbott warned that certain entities may be “masquerading as legal ‘courts’ staffed with ‘judges’ issuing orders” that claim to bind individuals to Islamic law—actions he says could violate multiple state criminal statutes.
Abbott noted that the First Amendment provides wide latitude for religious bodies to adjudicate internal doctrinal and ecclesiastical matters, but said that authority does not extend to attempting to function as a parallel legal system.
In 2017, Abbott signed House Bill 45, which prohibits Texas courts from enforcing foreign laws—including sharia law—when they conflict with state or federal constitutional rights. The law was designed to ensure that family law disputes and other civil matters in Texas cannot be governed by foreign legal codes.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/abbott-calls-for-criminal-investigations-into-sharia-courts-operating-in-north-texas/
