Governor Greg Abbott has requested investigations into alleged Sharia tribunals operating in Texas. In a letter sent to North Texas District Attorneys and Sheriffs, the Attorney General of Texas, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, Abbott expressed concern about entities that may be presenting themselves as legal courts while enforcing Islamic law.
“It has come to my attention that certain entities in Texas—including in Collin and Dallas counties—may be masquerading as legal ‘courts’ staffed with ‘judges’ issuing orders that purportedly carry the authority to bind individuals to Islamic codes, thereby preempting state and federal laws,” Abbott wrote. “The U.S. 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. I urge you, therefore, to investigate efforts by entities purporting to illegally enforce Sharia law 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’s letter highlights concerns about the possible existence of unauthorized courts attempting to resolve disputes outside the framework of state and federal law.
