The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) has criticised Governor Greg Abbott’s call to investigate alleged “sharia courts,” describing the move as “increasingly desperate and deranged” and rooted in long-standing anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.
In a statement, the group said that attempting to ban “sharia” would be no different from banning Jewish halacha or Catholic canon law, calling Abbott’s demand a “direct assault” on religious freedom.
“Greg Abbott’s disregard for the First Amendment, his obsession with Texas Muslims and his dedication to protecting the Israeli government from criticism apparently knows no bounds,” CAIR-Texas said.
The group said the governor’s directive follows several failed efforts to penalise Texans who criticised the Israeli government or refused to sign pro-Israel pledges.
“Now, the day after issuing an unconstitutional and error-riddled proclamation targeting the state’s largest Muslim civil rights group, he is ordering Texas district attorneys to investigate imaginary ‘sharia courts,'” it said.
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Debunked conspiracy theories
CAIR-Texas accused Abbott of promoting “debunked conspiracy theories” and vowed to defend Muslims in the state against what it called his “desperate” attempts to undermine the First Amendment.