How Islamophobia Is Shaping Texas Politics Ahead of 2026
With the southwestern border quieter than it has been in years, Texas Republicans have found a new target for their campaign messaging — and it’s the state’s growing Muslim population. What’s unfolding in Texas politics today echoes the fear-driven rhetoric of the post-9/11 era, but civil rights advocates say it’s actually more extreme, more coordinated, and more cynically calculated than anything they’ve seen before.
“Sharia Law” as a Campaign Weapon
Across the 2026 primary landscape, Republican candidates in races from U.S. Senate to state legislature have made anti-Islam rhetoric a centerpiece of their campaigns.
🚨BREAKING: I just sued the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to stop the terrorist groups from operating in Texas.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) February 5, 2026
Sharia law and the jihadists who follow sharia law have no business being in Texas. pic.twitter.com/lVO3EXGj1k
BREAKING: I'm announcing an investigation into a potentially illegal "sharia city" development in Kaufman County.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) February 9, 2026
While you’re on American soil, you will obey America’s laws. pic.twitter.com/qTDzm8Hv9o
Disagree with POTUS that NY mosque is about religious tolerance; Muslims are as free as any other religion to worship in America.
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 14, 2010
U.S. Senate hopeful and current Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused incumbent Sen. John Cornyn of being “soft on radical Islam.” Cornyn’s own campaign has fired back with ads calling Paxton’s record into question. Congressional candidate Aaron Reitz launched his attorney general campaign with a TV ad warning that “politicians have imported millions of Muslims into our country,” claiming the result is “more terrorism, more crime,” and promising to stop Muslims from building what he called “illegal cities.” Rep. Chip Roy, another attorney general candidate, convened a congressional hearing on Sharia law, claiming many Texas Muslims “likely harbor support for Sharia’s tenets” — a sweeping indictment of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding residents.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has documented that this cycle’s messaging is broader and more extreme than anything seen even after September 11. “Basically, GOP candidates are competing to see who is more anti-Muslim,” said Shaimaa Zayan, CAIR-Austin’s operations manager. Civil rights groups warn that this kind of rhetoric can inspire real-world violence, with Zayan noting that “you just need one crazy person listening to that.”
EPIC City: A Planned Community Becomes a Political Flashpoint
No story better illustrates the dynamics at play than the controversy surrounding EPIC City — a planned residential development near Josephine, Texas, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. Initiated by the East Plano Islamic Center, the 402-acre project proposed over 1,000 homes, a mosque, a K-12 school, senior housing, retail shops, and a community college. The first 450 investor plots sold out almost immediately after being listed.
BREAKING: I just sued East Plano Islamic Center to stop its illegal land development scheme.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) December 5, 2025
The leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets. pic.twitter.com/OtGb5oAcml
But before a single shovel broke ground, the project became a political firestorm.
Islamization of Texas….
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) February 12, 2026
Even the license plates are dedicated to Allah pic.twitter.com/5ZTWAX1p3I
Conservative commentator Amy Mek — known for anti-Muslim activism online — described it as a “402-Acre Sharia City,” and Gov. Greg Abbott amplified that characterization by reposting her content and declaring, “Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities.”
Today I signed a law that outlaws compounds like EPIC City.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 12, 2025
– It prevents “no go zones“
– Prevents selling land to only Muslims
– Requires disputes to be brought
under Texas laws & Texas courts NOT Sharia law
Transactions & business in Texas are not governed by Sharia law. pic.twitter.com/aiQgC2BCHr
Abbott and Paxton launched at least five investigations into the project. The DOJ opened its own federal probe at Cornyn’s urging, though it closed the investigation without filing any charges after developers pledged to abide by fair-housing laws. In December 2025, Paxton filed suit against EPIC’s organizers, alleging securities fraud. Abbott signed legislation banning so-called “Sharia compounds.” The community even renamed itself “The Meadow” to distance from the controversy — but the political attacks continued regardless.
EPIC’s attorney, Dan Cogdell, made the obvious point: “None of the investigations would be happening if the community was planned around a Christian church or Jewish temple.”
“These aren’t foreign adversaries. These are Texans. These are Americans. These are United States citizens.”
Rising Incidents and Hate Crimes
- Violence and Threats: There have been numerous reports of violence, including the stabbing death of Dr. Talat Jehan Khan in Conroe, and an attack on a Muslim woman and her children at a swimming pool in Euless.
- Targeting of Mosques and Students: In October 2025, a student was arrested for throwing a Quran into a bonfire at the University of Houston. Other incidents include vandalism and threats aimed at local mosques.
- Anti-Muslim Rhetoric: Reports indicate an “incredible explosion” of anti-Islam websites, media figures, and, more recently, anti-Muslim campaign ads from some Texas Republicans.
(Episode from February 10, 2026)
What It Means for November 2026
The strategy carries real electoral risks. Pew Research Center data shows that 42% of Muslim American adults lean Republican — a sizable and politically persuadable group that this rhetoric may be driving away permanently. Texas is home to over 300,000 Muslims, one of the largest Muslim populations in the country, concentrated in Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
As of the 119th Congress, four Muslims currently serve in Congress, all in the House of Representatives, and all being members of the Democratic Party.
Political analysts suggest the anti-Islam surge is driven less by genuine concern than by midterm math: with Donald Trump off the ballot in 2026, Republicans are searching for a motivating issue to drive base turnout. Fear of the “other” has historically served that function, and Muslim communities are now squarely in the crosshairs. Whether the strategy survives contact with a general electorate that is more moderate, diverse, and attentive to civil rights will be one of the defining tests of this election cycle.
Sources: Texas Tribune, Texas Monthly, Politico, Houston Chronicle, NPR, Border Report
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