Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling for the Islamic Tribunal to hand over documents surrounding its rulings based on sharia law. The tribunal has reportedly moved to replace legitimate courts of law, Paxton’s office noted.
The Islamic Tribunal “seeks to impose sharia law on all disputes among Texas Muslims and falsely represents that its decisions are final judgements with ‘the approval of the Texas Judicial system,'” the attorney general’s office explained. While the First Amendment protects religious communities’ ability to organize themselves, that right does not allow them to apply foreign laws that conflict with Texas or federal law.
“Anyone or any entity that seeks to subvert the codified state and federal laws of this country will be stopped dead in their tracks,” Paxton said in a statement. “If the Islamic Tribunal is undermining the rule of law or misleading Texans about the legal authority it claims to hold, my office will ensure its operation is shut down. This is America, and we will not be governed by sharia law.”
Last November, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) sent a letter to North Texas District Attorneys and Sheriffs, the Attorney General of Texas, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, warning them that Sharia tribunals may be violating the law.
“It has come to my attention that certain entities in Texas—including in Collin and Dallas counties—may be masquerading as legal ‘courts’ staffed with ‘judges’ issuing orders that purportedly carry the authority to bind individuals to Islamic codes, thereby preempting state and federal laws,” the letter reads.
“The U.S. Constitution’s religious protections provide no authority for religious courts to skirt state and federal laws simply by donning robes and pronouncing positions inconsistent with western civilization,” it adds. “I urge you, therefore, to investigate efforts by entities purporting to illegally enforce Sharia law in Texas.”
