Texas Muslim Republicans Threaten To Walk As ‘Sharia’ Attacks Escalate

1/15/26 Reposted from hoodline.com

Across Texas, some conservative Muslim voters are quietly rethinking what used to feel like a settled question: of course, they were Republicans. Now, as state leaders crank up anti-Sharia talk and turn legal fire on Muslim groups, longtime GOP backers from Houston suburbs to Fort Bend County say they feel courted for their votes and values while being cast as a threat in the next culture war. With the March 1 primary looming, a bloc the party once counted on is openly wondering whether the GOP still wants them in the tent.

GOP Push Targets ‘Sharia’ and CAIR

Gov. Greg Abbott has become the face of a high-profile campaign that critics say targets Muslim-led projects and advocacy organizations, including efforts to block a proposed North Texas community and what he has framed as a stand against “Sharia law.” According to reporting by the Houston Chronicle, Abbott has ordered state investigations and publicly labeled the Council on American-Islamic Relations a terrorist organization.

Lawmakers Are Turning ‘Sharia’ Into Policy

In Washington, Texas Republicans have tried to turn that rhetoric into concrete policy. Rep. Keith Self’s office announced that he and Rep. Chip Roy created a “Sharia Free America Caucus,” and Roy has introduced a “No Shari’a” bill that would deny immigration benefits to people described as adherents, according to a House news release. Rep. Keith Self says the caucus will push for measures designed to block what its members describe as Sharia’s influence in the United States.

Polling Shows a Receptive Electorate and a Risk

Public opinion helps explain why Texas Republicans keep returning to the issue. Surveys have found strong support among GOP voters for strict immigration steps that are packaged as national security moves. A 2017 University of Texas and Texas Tribune poll, highlighted by KERA, reported that large majorities of Texas Republicans backed President Trump’s travel limits on people from several Muslim-majority countries. At the same time, national data from the Pew Research Center show Muslim Americans have narrowed Democrats’ traditional edge and, on issues like family life, sexuality and gender identity, often fall closer to Republican positions, a trend GOP strategists have openly tried to harness.

Conservative Muslims Hold Mixed Loyalties

Many Muslims who identify as conservative say that whatever overlap they share with Republicans on social questions is being strained by the way the party talks about their faith. At the same time, Abbott has kept close personal and political ties with some Muslim leaders and donors. He reappointed S. Javaid Anwar to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and tapped Dr. Sherif Zaafran for the Texas Medical Board, according to the Office of the Texas Governor and related Office of the Texas Governor appointment records.

Abbott’s designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and related directives quickly landed in federal court. CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund of America sued the governor, arguing that the proclamation is unconstitutional and defamatory. International and national outlets have covered the challenge and the state’s orders; Al Jazeera reported on the lawsuit filing.

On the Ground, Voters Weigh Loyalty

In neighborhoods where Republican yard signs are still common, some conservative Muslim voters say the party line on faith and family has not changed, but the tone toward Muslims clearly has. “If what we believe is Sharia law, then that makes me think that these Republicans also believe in Sharia law,” Richmond Republican Nafees Asghar told the Houston Chronicle, adding that he expects to vote for “anyone but Abbott” in the March primary. The Chronicle also reported that energy executive S. Javaid Anwar remains a major Abbott donor, a reminder of how campaign money, gubernatorial appointments, and community outreach are all tangled up in this fight. Houston Chronicle

Whether the GOP’s anti-Sharia focus brings in new conservative Muslim supporters or drives away the ones it already has could matter in suburban districts where outcomes are decided on the margins. For now, the mix of polling numbers, courtroom battles, and personal stories suggests party leaders have a narrow path to walk if they want to grow their coalition without pushing out the very voters they have spent years trying to win over.