Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating a Dallas-based group accused of attempting to operate as a court system governed by Sharia law.
In a statement Monday, Paxton announced his office has sent a formal request to examine to the Islamic Tribunal, a group that claims to adjudicate disputes under Sharia law and whose rulings it describes as binding. The move is part of what Paxton called a “landmark investigation” into whether the organization is violating Texas law by presenting itself as a court.
The Islamic Tribunal, based in Dallas, has publicly claimed authority over “all aspects of Muslim life” and asserts that its decisions carry the approval of the Texas judicial system—claims state officials say are misleading and potentially unlawful.
“Anyone or any entity that seeks to subvert the codified state and federal laws of this country will be stopped dead in their tracks,” Paxton said. “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.”
The action follows a November letter from Gov. Greg Abbott urging Paxton and law enforcement across North Texas to investigate what he described as “rogue courts” potentially violating state criminal statutes. In that letter, Abbott warned that while religious institutions are permitted to resolve internal doctrinal matters, they are not allowed to function as independent legal systems issuing binding judgments outside the framework of American law.
Abbott specifically cited the Islamic Tribunal, pointing to its claims of broad jurisdiction, its description of rulings as “final,” and its assertion of recognition by the Texas judicial system as evidence that it may be operating beyond constitutionally protected religious activity.
State law prohibits individuals or groups from impersonating judges, issuing fraudulent court documents, or presenting decisions as legally binding when they lack government authority.
Paxton’s investigation also comes on the heels of strong support among Republican primary voters for further restrictions on Sharia law.
In the GOP primary last month, nearly 95 percent of Republican voters approved a nonbinding ballot proposition calling for the prohibition of Sharia law in Texas.
Abbott has indicated that more expansive measures could be pursued in the next legislative session, saying the state may seek to clarify and strengthen existing prohibitions on the application of foreign legal systems.
