Texas House Republicans have rolled out a new "Sharia Free Texas" caucus at the Capitol, tapping Rep. Brent Money to lead a bloc that says it wants to keep Islamic legal concepts from creeping into state law. The group is patterned on a similar effort in Congress and is arriving at a moment of heightened anxiety over public safety after a deadly attack on West Sixth Street in Austin that is now under federal review. Backers cast the caucus as a straightforward defense of Texas law and culture, while critics warn that singling out Islam invites discrimination and constitutional fights.
As reported by News Radio 1200 WOAI, Money said the caucus will pull together lawmakers to hammer out policy ideas before the next legislative session. WOAI noted that organizers are explicitly tying the project to broader debates in Texas over immigration, crime and security at home.
Texas Scorecard published a roster of founding members and detailed Money’s pitch to supporters. Money told the outlet, "I think that one of the biggest issues facing Texas right now is the Islamization of Texas," and said the caucus intends to draft proposals to "flesh out" what members describe as state-level responses to perceived foreign-law encroachment.
Modeled On A Federal Effort
The Austin caucus trails in the footsteps of a congressional Sharia Free America Caucus launched by Reps. Keith Self and Chip Roy, which Self’s office says was created to "counter the alarming rise of Sharia in the United States." Rep. Keith Self's office and allied lawmakers have rolled out a slate of federal bills they say are designed to block Sharia-style adjudication and scrutinize organizations they view as advancing political Islam.
Critics Call It Anti-Muslim
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has blasted the congressional version as an "anti-Muslim hate group," according to JNS, and has warned that broad anti-Sharia measures could end up criminalizing routine religious practice. Civil-rights organizations have already gone to court after Gov. Greg Abbott labeled CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organizations, litigation that was detailed by The Texas Tribune.
Security Backdrop: Austin Shooting
Supporters of tougher state action are pointing to the March 1 attack on West Sixth Street outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden, which left people dead and injured and is under investigation by the FBI as a possible act of terror. Local coverage has described chaotic scenes along the popular nightlife strip and a still-unfolding federal inquiry that Republican lawmakers say underscores their warnings about foreign-law influence and homefront security. The Houston Chronicle and other outlets have followed the investigation and the community’s reaction.
What Comes Next
Money told Texas Scorecard that the caucus aims to expand its membership and have written proposals ready before the 90th Legislature gavels in. Legal analysts, however, are already cautioning that any Texas law written to ban or police religious practice could run straight into the First Amendment. As The Texas Tribune has noted, earlier moves by state leaders are already being tested in court, which means the caucus agenda could be argued in federal courtrooms as quickly as in Capitol committee rooms.
