Sabrina Ball, a parent in Fort Worth ISD, is among those demanding the district reinstate Shayma Alzubi as principal of Western Hills High School. Pictured, Ball acknowledges support after speaking before the newly appointed Fort Worth Independent School District Board and Superintendent Peter Licata at the District Service Center in Fort Worth, Texas, March 31, 2026.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
Calling the investigation a sham and witch hunt, Muslim community members and public school teachers and advocates on Thursday demanded the Fort Worth school district reinstate a principal whose hiring sparked a deluge of online hate.
The school district this week announced it hired longtime Fort Worth educator Shayma Alzubi as principal of Western Hills High School. The announcement included a photograph of Alzubi wearing a hijab, or Muslim head scarf.
Days later, Fort Worth ISD said it reassigned Alzubi pending an investigation into her social media posts in support of immigrants, Palestinians and Black Lives Matter.
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Fadya Risheq, a North Texas member of American Muslims for Palestine, accused the district Thursday of bowing to social media pressure from Christian white supremacists.
“This was not a reassignment. This was intimidation. This was a surrender to bigotry,” Risheq said. “This sends a message that online hate can decide who is allowed to lead our schools.”
Related: Fort Worth principal reassigned after conservative backlash mounts
Alzubi’s hire went viral after the influential far-right group Libs of TikTok shared the announcement and snippets from her social media pages. In one, Alzubi shared a post by Texas Reporter that said Shariah is not a threat to Texas but the moral code laid out in Muslim scriptures.
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Since the news erupted, Alzubi has received death threats and is not sleeping at her own home, organizers said. She did not attend the news conference for safety reasons, they said.
In a statement, Alzubi said she is “disheartened that the online noise is being emphasized over my experience and qualifications that earned me the position.”
Fort Worth ISD said it was investigating Alzubi’s previous statements “that may not align with the district’s social media policy and expectations for staff.” It was not immediately clear how the statements might have violated the district’s rules.
Organizers said Alzubi, who began her career in 2013 as a science teacher in Fort Worth ISD, learned of her reassignment not from the district, but through social media. They said the district has not provided Alzubi with a list of her posts under investigation.
Alzubi was selected principal after a thorough interview process that began in March and included live, in-class demonstrations of her skills, said Noor Wadi, an attorney with Faith Power Alliance, an Islamic advocacy organization. Wadi said “keyboard cowards” sought to derail Alzubi’s accomplishment.
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“Fort Worth ISD capitulated to anti-Muslim hysteria,” Wadi said. “Make no mistake. This all began because Shayma Alzubi is a visibly Muslim woman with a Palestinian name.”
The turmoil comes as Fort Worth ISD is under state control. Last year, the Texas Education Agency opted to take over the district after a campus received a failing grade for five consecutive years. Education Commissioner Mike Morath installed former Florida educator Peter Licata to lead the district, and appointed a board of managers to oversee the district’s affairs.
The takeover has angered many in the community who want to retain local control and worry educators and families will flee the district. Sabrina Ball, a Fort Worth ISD parent opposed to the takeover, said what happens here could have a chilling effect on Fort Worth public schools.
“This is not just about one principal. This is about our school system and what it is becoming under the state takeover,” she said. “Instead of drawing a firm line against harassment and intimidation, the district embraced it.”
But Texas State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, a conservative pastor who represents Fort Worth, is urging the Texas Education Agency to investigate Alzubi. He said he spoke with Licata on Tuesday after he learned of Alzubi’s hiring.
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In a text message to The News, Hall said it was unfortunate activists were creating an “unnecessary sideshow that distracts from the real issues FWISD faces.”
“The district is conducting an investigation to determine if any of their policies were violated,” Hall said. “We should allow that investigation to play out and stay focused on improving student outcomes in the meantime.”
Related: As takeover takes shape, Fort Worth ISD parents demand answers from state
Some on social media criticized Alzubi’s hire and said it was proof of an “Islamic takeover” in Texas, where about 2% of adults identify as Muslim, according to the PEW Research Religious Landscape Study. In Dallas-Fort Worth, that number is 1%.
Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Dallas-Fort Worth chapter, said Alzubi’s reassignment is part of an “anti-Muslim witch hunt.”
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Anti-Islamic rhetoric has escalated in recent months. A “Sharia Free” caucus formed in the Texas statehouse. Earlier this month, the city of Grand Prairie canceled a private event for Muslims at its water park under pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, who threatened to withhold state funding from the city.
Last week, a Frisco City Council meeting to consider approving a new mosque, Hindu temple and Jain temple drew fiery opposition from dozens of speakers, including Frisco pastor Brandon Burden and Jake Lang, a Florida activist who was pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
“This did not happen in a vacuum,” Carroll said. “Texas Muslims have been targeted by a vicious campaign of hate by some political leaders.”
Related: North Texas Muslim civil rights group calls for end of anti-Muslim rhetoric after mosque shooting