Wylie Independent School District said it is investigating after an outside group distributed Qurans and other materials about Islam to students.
An organization called Why Islam gave Henna tattoos, provided hijabs to try on and offered Qurans and informational pamphlets during lunch Monday at Wylie East High School.
By Monday evening, videos about the encounter were spreading on social media. In one, a student who identified himself as president of the school’s conservative Turning Point USA chapter held a pamphlet about Sharia, which is the moral code laid out in Muslim scriptures.
“We’re trying to understand what’s going on,” the student said. “…I’ve never seen churches or Bibles passed out.”
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In a statement Tuesday to The Dallas Morning News, the district said it became aware of the group’s presence only after the videos hit social media Monday evening. It said the student club that invited the organization did not follow district protocols to bring in an outside group.
“This situation is not about religion, politics, ideology, or any personal belief system,” the statement said. “It is about a procedural breakdown.”
The organization, Why Muslim, did not immediately respond to an email or phone call seeking comment Tuesday. According to its website, the group was founded in 1999 to provide accurate information about Islam to dispel stereotypes and misconceptions.
Wylie ISD — about 30 miles northeast of Dallas in Collin County — said it is reviewing its internal procedures and staff oversight related to student clubs and guest approvals.
Conservative influencers and groups pounced on the incident, saying it is part of an effort to infiltrate schools and spread Sharia. Some said a Christian organization would not have been allowed to distribute materials in school.
“This doesn’t feel fair, and it doesn’t feel right,“ Paul Bondar, who is running in the Republican primary for Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, said in a video posted to social media. ”This is a serious matter, and we are being actively attacked.”
Texas lawmakers in 2025 passed a law requiring all public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments, and the state’s Board of Education is considering a proposal to require public schools teach biblical passages in English class from kindergarten through senior year.
Anti-Islamic rhetoric has emerged in several Texas Republican political campaigns in recent months, and Texas Republicans have fought a Muslim-centric residential development that would span Collin and Hunt counties.
Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations a foreign terrorist organization, which the organization called a “witch hunt.” Abbott said he would target individuals or groups who unlawfully impose Sharia.
In its statement, Wylie ISD said it “will not allow outside influence or online speculation to distort facts, sow division, or damage the trust we have built with our community.”
“Mistakes were made, and we take full responsibility,” it said. “…At the same time, we firmly reject any suggestion that this was part of a coordinated effort to promote a religious or political agenda.”