Texas anti-Muslim politics made it to the national stage Thursday.
High-profile Texas Republicans targeted Islam in their speeches on the final night of the Republican midterm convention, a move that follows months of rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the state.
"Sharia law has no place in America," said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, referring to the Muslim religious code and customs. "Sharia law is fundamentally inconsistent with the Constitution, and we need to stand together and stop it now."
Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott denounced the religion, with Cruz claiming Islam "produces murder and oppression."
Abbott also promised to "fully ban Sharia law" in Texas, despite it being unenforceable in the United States.
The message even made it up to Vice President J.D. Vance, who said the Democratic Party would criticize him if he questioned Sharia law.
The speeches resonated with the crowd, garnering loud applause at each mention.
"It's like a virus that's working its way from below the surface," Carmen Horton, 73, said. "And it's going to come get us if we don't fight back now."
Carol Han, a Chinese immigrant who now lives in Dallas, said she became Christian and adopted American values when she came to the U.S.
"They don't want to adopt American culture," Han said. "They still want to keep their own culture."
Texas Republicans have made various efforts to stop Muslim developments and events in recent years — a move Muslim Texans say makes their lives more difficult.
Most recently, Abbott threatened to pull funding from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport over a proposal to add more Muslim feet-washing stations to its international gate. The airport quickly complied and canceled the new wash stations.
Abbott used a similar tactic to get Grand Prairie to cancel a Muslim water park event in May.
One Mosque in Plano, the East Plano Islamic Center, and its proposed housing development have faced lawsuits from Attorney General Ken Paxton, investigations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and even a probe by the state's funeral commission. No wrongdoing has been found.
Abbott's most contested action was designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights group in the country, a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization last year.
Attorney General Ken Paxton subsequently sued CAIR, asking a Collin County judge to effectively end the organization due to Abbott's designation.
That designation is being contested by CAIR in federal court.
And beyond Texas' elected officials, the state's board of education approved a social studies curriculum this month that some Muslims say discriminates against them.
The new curriculum teaches that "radical Islam" was the motivation behind the 9/11 attacks, and it describes Islam's founder, Prophet Muhammad, as a "brutal" warrior who spread faith through violence and slavery.
Dylan Duke is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan at dduke@kera.org.
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