Criminal Investigations Called For Into Sharia Courts Operating In North Texas

Keep in mind that these Sharia courts have been known to exist for years, and on top of that, Sharia is the cover by which Noahide laws are sneaking in under the radar.

Texas Scorecard reports on the pressure put on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to address the issue.

The push comes amid heightened scrutiny over Islamist influence and institutions in Texas.

Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on law enforcement officials across North Texas to launch investigations into what he says may be illegal Sharia tribunals operating as rogue courts in Collin and Dallas counties.

In a letter sent to local district attorneys, sheriffs, the Texas attorney general, and the Department of Public Safety, Abbott warned that certain entities may be “masquerading as legal ‘courts’ staffed with ‘judges’ issuing orders” that claim to bind individuals to Islamic law—actions he says could violate multiple state criminal statutes.

Abbott noted that the First Amendment provides wide latitude for religious bodies to adjudicate internal doctrinal and ecclesiastical matters, but said that authority does not extend to attempting to function as a parallel legal system.

In 2017, Abbott signed House Bill 45, which prohibits Texas courts from enforcing foreign laws—including Sharia law—when they conflict with state or federal constitutional rights. The law was designed to ensure that family law disputes and other civil matters in Texas cannot be governed by foreign legal codes.

Additionally, he cited Texas Penal Code provisions that make it a crime to impersonate a judge, issue counterfeit court orders, or pass off documents as official government records.

The letter singles out the “Islamic Tribunal,” a group operating in the Dallas area, pointing to its public statements that it resolves a broad range of disputes according to “Islamic jurisprudence and its Shari’ah or Law” and claims “approval of the Texas Judicial system.” The group’s founding charter describes its decisions as “final according to Islamic jurisprudence,” something Abbott says crosses into unlawful authority.

Abbott warned that such practices “stray far beyond traditional church autonomy” and risk functioning as “a rival court in violation of the Texas Penal Code.”

“The 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,” he said.

As of publication, the Islamic Tribunal has not responded to a request for comment.

The governor urged Dallas and Collin County district attorneys, sheriffs, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and DPS to investigate any entities purporting to enforce sharia law or issue binding judgments in Texas.

“Legal disputes in Texas must be decided based on American law rooted in the fundamental principles of American due process, not according to Sharia law dispensed in modern day star chambers,” Abbott wrote.

The push comes amid heightened scrutiny over Islamist influence and institutions in Texas, including concerns surrounding the proposed EPIC City housing development (now renamed The Meadow) and Abbott’s separate designation of CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations earlier this week.

Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media