The key facts
- The Sharia-Free America Caucus, founded in December by Texans Keith Self and Chip Roy, has grown to roughly 70 members, about a quarter of them from Texas
- The Sharia-Free America caucus, founded in December by Texans Keith Self and Chip Roy, has grown to roughly 70 members, about a quarter of them from Texas
- Trump called Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a 'jihadist'; there is no credible evidence of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood
- A Pew poll in spring 2026: 43% of Americans consider Muslims less patriotic than other Americans
- A Pew survey in spring 2026: 43% of Americans consider Muslims less patriotic than other Americans
The campaign ahead of the midterm elections
At a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, US President Donald Trump called Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a According to The National, there is no credible evidence of El-Sayed's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or of any intention to introduce Islamic law. Critics, including Mobashra Tazamal of Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative research programme, view such accusations as a
A legislative push from Texas
Texas has become the centre of this campaign. In December of last year, congressmen Keith Self and Chip Roy founded the Sharia-Free America Caucus with the aim of banning any application of sharia in the US; the caucus has grown to roughly 70 members, about a quarter of whom are Texans. In the Senate, Texan John Cornyn introduced a bill in May to ban sharia propaganda, while Ted Cruz sought to have the Muslim Brotherhood designated a terrorist organisation — in January, Trump declared three of its branches foreign terrorist organisations. Self called Texas
The Epic City project as a symbol of the conflict
Much of the rhetoric is tied to Epic City, a planned residential development in the town of Josephine near Dallas, financed by the East Plano Islamic Center with funds from the local Muslim community. The project includes a mosque, a religious school, a senior centre and sports facilities. Governor Greg Abbott described it as a
Two views of what is happening
Sam Westrop of the Texas Public Policy Foundation says he tracks about 300 Islamist groups in Texas and considers the state's actions a plot by an ISIS-linked 17-year-old teenager against Congressman Self. Tazamal objects: accusations of ties to Islamists are a way to smear Muslim opponents, and the growing attention to the state is explained by demographics. According to Pew, the share of Christians in Texas fell by almost 20% between 2007 and 2024, while the share of those professing Islam and other religions rose from 3% to 6% in a state of about 31 million people. She also cites a report by the right-wing Cato Institute: excluding the September 11 attacks and Oklahoma City, 45% of those killed in political violence over 50 years were victims of right-wing perpetrators, and 32% of Islamists.
