Attorney General Ken Paxton Takes Legal Action as Part of a Landmark Investigation into an Alleged Effort to Impose Sharia Law on Texas

AUSTIN, TX -- Attorney General Ken Paxton demanded documents from the Islamic Tribunal, which is a group that has been accused of making judicial rulings based on sharia law. Islamic Tribunal has reportedly sought to replace actual courts of law and evade neutral and generally applicable state and federal laws.

Islamic Tribunal is a Dallas-based entity that claims to exercise jurisdiction over all aspects of Muslim life. Islamic Tribunal seeks to impose sharia law on all disputes among Texas Muslims and falsely represents that its decisions are final judgements with “the approval of the Texas Judicial system.”

While the First Amendment protects religious institutions’ right to govern themselves, that right does not allow a religious organization to act as a court, apply foreign laws that conflict with Texas or federal law, or issue rulings that imply government authority. To do so violates Texas law.

Attorney General Paxton’s investigation seeks to uncover evidence to determine if the Islamic Tribunal is engaged in illegal activity. The Attorney General has sent a Request to Examine (“RTE”) to the Islamic Tribunal as part of his investigation.

“Anyone or any entity that seeks to subvert the codified state and federal laws of this country will be stopped dead in their tracks,” said Attorney General Paxton. “If the Islamic Tribunal is undermining the rule of law or misleading Texans about the legal authority it claims to hold, my office will ensure its operation is shut down. This is America, and we will not be governed by sharia law.”