A Texas lawmaker is urging the state legislature to hold formal hearings aimed at banning Sharia law across the state, citing growing national concern over radical Islam’s influence in the United States.
Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian, issued his call following the release of a new Rasmussen poll showing that 77% of likely voters are concerned about radical Islam, with 41% saying they are very concerned. The poll also revealed opposition among voters to the idea of Muslims forming separate communities within the U.S.
Harrison asked Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows to initiate interim legislative hearings that would explore legislative strategies to “combat Sharia law” in Texas. The legislature, which meets every two years, is currently in an interim period during which committees hold hearings and lawmakers begin drafting bills for the next session.
In addition to banning Sharia law, Harrison is pushing for hearings on a broad range of issues including eliminating property taxes, protecting Christian camps, stopping taxpayer funding of DEI and LGBTQ programs, ending support for “liberal Hollywood,” repealing what he describes as bloated budget increases, and banning taxpayer-funded lobbying.
He argued that the Texas House “failed to act on the most pressing issues facing Texans during three sessions,” despite claims by top Republican leaders that they delivered a conservative legislative agenda, including historic school choice legislation.
Harrison said Texas must act now to protect its values. He warned that, contrary to public belief, Sharia law is not currently banned in Texas, and called for expanded legal prohibitions on Sharia courts, closure of loopholes like the EPIC City exemption, and official designations of groups like CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terror organizations.
Governor Greg Abbott and other state leaders have already taken steps against these groups, and the issue has gained traction within the Texas Republican Party, which included banning Sharia law on its March primary ballot.
Harrison’s proposal places Texas at the forefront of a national debate about the role of Islamic law in American society and underscores the growing political momentum behind such legislation.
