Bo French, a Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, on Friday said Republicans should more openly embrace Islamophobia and called on the U.S. to deport 100 million people, nearly a third of the country\u2019s population.<\/p>\n
French, a former Tarrant County GOP chair who has previously come under fire<\/a> by his own party for his repeated use of slurs on social media, made the comments at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine during a panel titled, \u201cDon\u2019t Sharia My Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n French\u2019s comments \u2014 alongside those of the other panelists on stage \u2014\u00a0were remarkable for how brazenly they embraced the banner of Islamophobia. His call comes as more in the GOP are speaking out against \u201cSharia law\u201d and \u201cradical Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to say something that\u2019s going to make some people uncomfortable: The problem is, we call it Sharia [law], but the problem is actually Islam,\u201d French said. \u201cIf they can infiltrate Texas and conquer Texas, then what\u2019s going to happen? They\u2019re going to be able to control the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Jenny Story, chief operating officer at Patriot Mobile, said the Texas-based conservative Christian cellphone company has hosted a series of events with party activists since January to organize against Islam.<\/p>\n \u201cThat January 9 event that we put together really was a catalyst for Texans in terms of saying, \u2018You know what, maybe I am Islamophobic. I am afraid of what they\u2019re going to be doing to our great country,\u2019\u201d said Story, who spoke on the CPAC panel with French.<\/p>\n As Republican activists push the party to take a harder line against Islam, anti-Islamic rhetoric has taken center stage in GOP campaigns<\/a> in Texas, with elected officials and candidates casting the spread of Islam as an existential threat to the so-called American way of life and a public safety risk. Republicans have framed their opposition to Islam as an immigration issue, arguing Muslim immigrants do not properly assimilate into the country and claiming they are working to impose their values on other Texans.<\/p>\n \u201cSince 1965, we\u2019ve allowed immigration from lots of places in the world whose culture and values do not align with America,\u201d French said, expanding his call for deportations to encompass 100 million people in the country.<\/p>\n Texas Republicans are working to shut down Muslim groups<\/a> in Texas, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation\u2019s largest Muslim civil rights group and one Gov. Greg Abbott has designated a foreign terrorist organization. CAIR has sued<\/a>, rejecting any ties to terrorist organizations and saying the label is defamatory and false. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows both placed<\/a> beating back the spread of sharia law<\/a> on their lists of priorities ahead of the legislative session next year.<\/p>\n Texas is home to more than 300,000 Muslims \u2014 more than all but four states \u2014\u00a0and long-established Muslim communities in Houston and North Texas. As of 2017, Muslims made up less than 2%<\/a> of the state population.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas condemned the creation of an \u201cAnti-Sharia Caucus\u201d in the Texas Legislature and denoted it an \u201canti-Muslim hate group,\u201d saying it was \u201crooted not in reality, but in misinformation and fear that unfairly targets Muslim Texans.\u201d<\/p>\n For Muslims, Sharia referred to \u201cpersonal religious guidance similar to how kosher laws guide Jewish practice or church teachings guide Christian practice,\u201d CAIR Texas said. \u201cIt is about faith and personal conduct, not replacing American law or governing institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMuslim Texans are not a threat,\u201d the group added.<\/p>\n