While state party ballot initiatives typically don’t make national headlines, an effort from Texas Republicans to list banning Sharia law as an official part of their policy platform has become an exception to that rule. Ahead of the vote on March 3, AMAC is spearheading a concentrated effort to raise awareness about the dangers of Sharia law and how it’s already taking root in the Lone Star State and beyond.
With more than 90,000 members across Texas, AMAC is mobilizing voters to defend the Constitution and make clear that civil law in America must always be grounded in the U.S. and Texas Constitutions — not in any religious legal code. The Texas Republican Party’s primary ballot proposition is simple in principle but profound in consequence, asking Texans whether Sharia law should be prohibited from influencing or overriding state law.
While critics have castigated this effort as an attack on the First Amendment or the Muslim faith, the precise opposite is the case. Banning Sharia law is about protecting religious liberty and safeguarding the rule of law for everyone.
What Is Sharia Law?
Contrary to what some Islamist apologists suggest, Sharia is not merely a personal spiritual guide. It is a comprehensive religious legal system derived from Islamic scripture and centuries of clerical interpretation. In multiple countries, it governs criminal justice, family law, property rights, and everyday conduct.
Where it has been formally implemented as civil law, the results are deeply disturbing and totally antithetical to the American conception of morality and justice.
In nations such as Iran and Afghanistan, Sharia has been used to justify child marriage, forced veiling, restrictions on women’s movement and employment, and brutal corporal punishments, including public flogging, stoning, and amputation. Women who are raped are often subsequently murdered by their own family members in so-called “honor killings” under the banner of Sharia law. Religious minorities and political dissidents routinely face discrimination or persecution. Basic due process protections Americans take for granted simply do not exist where Sharia law rules.
These abuses hurt Muslims most of all. Millions of peaceful Muslim families around the world live under systems that deny their daughters equal rights and silence anyone who questions clerical authority. That’s precisely why preventing Sharia from ever taking root in American society protects Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The Constitution guarantees equal treatment. Sharia law, by design, does not.
What’s Happening in Texas?
Texas Republicans have placed a series of policy propositions on the March 3 primary ballot to gauge grassroots priorities ahead of the next legislative cycle. These propositions are advisory, but they shape the party’s official platform and legislative agenda.
One of those proposals asks voters whether Texas should formally prohibit Sharia law and any foreign or religious legal code from being applied in the state. This proposal represents the first step toward enshrining protections against Sharia in Texas law.
This effort builds on steps already taken by Governor Greg Abbott, who signed legislation in 2025 targeting so-called “Sharia compounds” and developments that attempt to restrict residency based on religion or operate outside Texas law. Abbott has also launched investigations and designated groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign or transnational threats.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has made preventing Sharia influence a top priority for the next legislative session.
The message from state leaders is straightforward: Texas law is Texas law, and nothing else overrides it. Now the Texas GOP is looking to formalize that as part of their platform.
Is Sharia Law Really Taking Root in America?
The uncomfortable answer is yes.
As AMAC Newsline has previously reported, attempts to carve out enclaves governed by Sharia-compliant practices in Texas and elsewhere are no longer hypothetical.
In Collin County, developers announced plans for “EPIC City,” a proposed 400-acre, self-contained Islamic community tied to the East Plano Islamic Center. Plans included homes, schools, mosques, commercial space, and services designed so residents could effectively cut off all contact with the broader community. Critics — including a retired local police lieutenant — warned that it would function as a de facto Sharia-controlled enclave operating separate from American norms.
After public outcry, Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into potential legal violations by the project’s leaders.
At the federal level, lawmakers have taken notice as well. Texas Reps. Chip Roy and Keith Self helped form the Sharia Free America Caucus to counter what they describe as efforts to embed foreign legal concepts into American communities. Additional proposals, such as the No Sharia Act, would bar courts from enforcing any foreign or religious judgment that conflicts with constitutional rights.
None of this is theoretical culture-war rhetoric. It’s a response to documented attempts to create parallel legal systems that trample constitutional freedoms. Though the United States was founded on Christian principles and remains a predominantly Christian society, it has always tolerated every faith.
But the one non-negotiable condition is that everyone lives under the same law. Now, bubbling support for Sharia law in Texas and throughout the country threatens to violate that condition.
How Can Texans & AMAC Members Get Involved?
For AMAC members and concerned citizens everywhere, the first step to getting involved is going to AMAC’s Save Texas homepage. There, you’ll find important updates and can register for AMAC’s upcoming webinar on the issue.
For Texans who agree that the Constitution must remain the supreme law of the land, the next step is straightforward: Vote on March 3.
Primary ballot propositions may not always dominate cable news, but they directly influence party platforms and future legislation. A strong showing sends an unmistakable message to lawmakers that voters expect them to defend American law without compromise.
AMAC will continue updating members with information, analysis, and opportunities to engage. AMAC’s Texas members are already mobilizing neighbors, churches, and community groups to ensure turnout.
Banning Sharia law does not restrict worship, religious freedom, or anyone’s right to practice Islam — protections guaranteed by the First Amendment. The only people affected are those attempting to substitute a religious legal code for the Constitution.
In other words, this ballot proposition protects liberty for everyone.
At a time when other nations are struggling with the consequences of parallel legal systems and fractured civic identity, Texas has a chance to draw a clear line. The Constitution comes first. Always.
On March 3, Texans can take a significant step toward ensuring that principle remains the guiding light for the state – and in the process, serve as an example for the rest of the country.
Shane Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of AMAC Newsline. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
