Mainstream and Radicals
To the editor:
My heart broke after being bombarded with ads from politicians who warned of the impending chaos and destruction radical Islam would wreak in Texas unless they were elected. According to them, we are in danger of being forced to follow Sharia law. I ask that everyone reading this letter give some thought to the consequences of these pronouncements. And, please understand, I do not support any radical religious zealots (internal or external) who attack our country seeking to sow hatred and destruction.
Muslims compromise 2% of the Texas population. My research indicates there are around 330 mosques in Texas. However, one estimate puts the number of churches in Texas at over 30,000, with 210 being mega churches (defined as having a congregation of 2,000 or more and typically protestant).
When Texas Muslims wanted to build a planned community north of Dallas that included a mosque, Governor Gregg Abbott stepped in. The state has launched numerous investigations against them. However, in June, 2025, the Department of Justice closed its investigation, saying the developer agreed to follow federal fair housing laws. It is now reopened at the request of Republican Senator John Cornyn.
The truth is, we don’t need their protection from Sharia Law. Rules are already on the books that protect us from religious discrimination in housing and employment, give us the right to worship as we choose, and Sharia law is already subservient to U.S. law because of the Constitution’s Supremacy clause.
The group we should be worried about is the Christian nationalists who are determined to put more Christian religion in public schools. They preach that many of our problems in America stem from the removal of Biblical morality from the classroom.
If that is your belief, you are entitled to it. However, please remember that Texas school children are required to spend 1,260 hours a year in school, while there are 8,760 hours in a year. That leaves parents ample time to teach their children Biblical morality rather than expecting the school to do it. Furthermore, if this is your priority, you can send your child to a religiously oriented school.
Unfortunately, this duty is being forced on Texas public schools by the Texas State government. School boards are required to vote on whether to adopt organized prayer periods during school time, post the Ten Commandments in each classroom if the posters are privately donated, and are urged to adopt a curriculum that is Christiancentered, giving extra money to school districts that comply.
Texas has set aside $1 billion to pay vouchers for students to attend private schools. However, at present, all Muslim schools have been blocked from participating in this process because Attorney General Ken Paxton said schools can be blocked if they are “illegally tied to terrorists or foreign adversaries.” Conveniently, Governor Greg Abbott designated the Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group, as a terrorist organization, and the civil rights group has held some events at these schools. Note: the U.S. State Department has not designated the organization as a terrorist group.
I was raised as an ethical and moral Protestant and proud American citizen. Part of my upbringing included respecting the religion and religious practices of my peers. Every Friday night slumber party included fish sticks out of respect for my Catholic friends who could not eat meat on Fridays. I attended classes outside of school where I learned about the other great religions of the world.
Most Protestants know the difference between mainstream Christians and radical Christians. Two radicals come to mind: Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple, who ultimately forced his flock to commit suicide by drinking cyanide-laced juice in Guyana (over 900 died), and David Koresh of the Branch Dividians in Waco, Texas, who fought off the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms after being accused of having illegal weapons.
Many Texans do not know or associate with someone who is a practicing Muslim and therefore do not have the ability to differentiate between what is mainstream Muslim behavior and radical Muslim behavior. This leaves the majority of Muslims who earnestly practice their faith subject to harassment, violence, and discrimination because state officials are attacking Islam in general. To me, this assault is un-American. I believe in the separation of church and state and respect for those who believe differently. They should be allowed to practice their religion in peace.