The group from Grapevine had left for Austin shortly after 5 a.m., answering a call from leaders of True Texas Project \u2014 the Tarrant County-based conservative activist group that galvanized Fort Worth officials to overturn a nondiscrimination policy in 2024<\/a> \u2014 to keep Islam and \u201csharia law\u201d out of public school and urge board members to adopt a curriculum focused on \u201ctraditional, America-first principles.”\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIslam has nothing to do with the founding of the USA or Texas and should not be included in U.S. and Texas history curriculum,\u201d Fran Rhodes, president of True Texas Project, told SBOE members. \u201cSharia practices are in conflict with both the U.S. and the Texas Constitution \u2014 not to be considered in a social studies curriculum.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n About 150 people were registered to speak during the 14-hour meeting. Some took to the lectern to warn state education leaders about what they characterized as the \u201cthreat of the Islam\u201d taking over Texas public schools. However, the majority of speakers argued the proposed instruction materials prioritized Christianity over other religions<\/a> and lacked diverse faith perspectives.\u00a0<\/p>\n State Board of Education hearings have long been \u201ca traditional battleground in Texas politics,\u201d said Mark Chancey, a religious studies professor at Southern Methodist University. The rhetoric used to target the Islamic faith and Muslims on Tuesday \u2014 by both residents and elected officials \u2014\u00a0mark a \u201cratcheting up of vitriol,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the critics of Islam who have a bullhorn right now, and it\u2019s hard to hear anything other than the misrepresentation that they are broadcasting,\u201d Chancey said in an interview while reviewing recordings of the SBOE hearing with Fort Worth Report journalists.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dozens of speakers decried the \u201cthreat of Islam\u201d during Tuesday\u2019s hearing, but it\u2019s unclear how many attended on behalf of True Texas Project, which has chapters across the state but doesn\u2019t track its membership. Report journalists observed about 30 passengers on the bus departing from Grapevine.\u00a0<\/p>\n Only one speaker, Rhodes, identified herself as a member of the group, according to a list of registered speakers provided by the board. In addition to the Grapevine bus, True Texas Project sponsored transportation from Denton, while other supporters traveled separately from across the state, Rhodes told the Report via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brandon Hall, who represents much of Tarrant County on the State Board of Education, said he felt \u201cvery encouraged\u201d to see his constituents from True Texas Project take an interest in the government process.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hall said it\u2019s important for students to understand the history of Islam, but he wants lessons to be objective.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want the history of Islam to be whitewashed. I want all parts of it to be covered,\u201d Hall said in a phone interview Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n The board took a preliminary vote of approval<\/a> on the social studies curriculum Friday, with a final vote planned for June. The board rejected lessons about Muslim contributions to algebra and astronomy, as well as a Republican-led proposal to teach that the founder of Islam married a minor, according to The Texas Tribune.\u00a0<\/p>\n Democratic members are seeking to pause the decision after finding out one of the historians involved in creating the proposed materials received a financial contribution<\/a> from a conservative think tank, according to the Tribune.<\/p>\n Activists warn against \u2018sharia law\u2019 during hearing<\/p>\n True Texas Project sponsored the bus to Austin with a donation from Patriot Mobile, the Grapevine-based Christian, conservative wireless provider known for supporting conservative candidates in local school board elections<\/a>. In an April 1 newsletter, Rhodes urged \u201cas many people as possible\u201d to join the group and counter the testimony of Islamic advocacy groups she warned were pushing for their religious views to be included in the curriculum.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Islam is to be included, Rhodes wrote, the materials should teach that it is \u201ca communist-based ideology, and that students should learn (at appropriate levels) the harms of Islamic\/communist regimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Founded in 2009 as the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party, True Texas Project is a familiar name at Texas legislative hearings, as the group for years has pushed lawmakers to adopt conservative policies on topics ranging from immigration to LGBTQ rights. In 2024, the group drew scrutiny across the state for its 15-year anniversary conference featuring discussions on \u201cthe war on white America,\u201d hosted at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The group has traditionally focused its efforts on the Texas Legislature, Rhodes noted, saying via email that she has been \u201cremiss\u201d in educating supporters about the education board and Texas Education Agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI decided that 2026 would be the year that I gain for myself a better understanding of the SBOE, how it works, and how citizens can engage and then mobilize others,\u201d Rhodes wrote via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jolyn Potenza, a parent in Carroll ISD, told board members to \u201cstand strong against groups demanding Islamic slants or heavy global perspectives in the name of inclusivity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAny history that diminishes our exceptionalism in favor of race-based narratives or foreign ideologies is not education. It is erosion,\u201d Potenza said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chancey pushed back on the idea of rejecting Muslims\u2019 place in American history, referencing how African-American Muslims<\/a> were enslaved and brought to the U.S. through colonial expeditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMuslims have always been a part of the story of the Americas,\u201d Chancey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Liz Case, endorsed by True Texas Project in her unsuccessful primary bid for a Texas House seat representing the Abilene area, took to the lectern at the twelfth hour of the meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n She shared her concern about sharia affecting the First Amendment and changing U.S. history, saying it would \u201cindoctrinate the children.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnder sharia, there will be no religion except Islam,\u201d Case said. \u201cAnd in Texas, that dog don’t hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n Understanding sharia\u00a0<\/p>\n Sharia is a moral code that guides those who practice Islam. Some Muslim-majority countries reference sharia in their legal systems, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent nonpartisan organization and think tank. However, the U.S. Constitution prohibits religious laws from superseding state or federal laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other religions also have their own versions of religious law. Catholics follow the Code of Canon Law<\/a>. In Judaism, Halakhah guides Jewish people in how to \u201cbehave in every aspect of life, encompassing civil, criminal and religious law,\u201d according to the New York-based learning center My Jewish Learning<\/a>. Hindus and Buddhists also have their own versions of religious laws, according to a 2022 research document within New York University\u2019s Law School database<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time that the Islamic faith has been targeted at the Texas State Board of Education. A debate over alleged \u201cpro-Islamic\/anti-Christian<\/a>\u201d bias in state textbooks erupted in 2010, Chancey said. Board members at the time approved a one-page nonbinding resolution<\/a> urging that textbooks on world history limit what is included about Islam.<\/p>\n Hall, the Tarrant County member, said the board has to consider which major historical events to include in the social studies curriculum, referencing the 9\/11 attacks led by Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda<\/a>. He said he would also be open to considering any historically significant events that reflect positively on Islam in the lessons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Islam, Muslims at forefront of Texas politics<\/p>\n Anti-Islam sentiment is nothing new in Texas politics, especially among fringe GOP circles, Chancey noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the March primaries, Republican officials, party leaders and activist groups honed in on what they describe as the \u201cIslamization\u201d of Texas, with many candidates promising to crack down on \u201csharia law\u201d and neutralize the \u201cthreat of Islam\u201d if elected.\u00a0<\/p>\n Typically, political attacks on Islam have focused on the religion itself, Chancey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe tone and the frequency and the obvious delight in attacking fellow citizens and attacking people who are ethnic and religious minorities certainly seems to go beyond much of the behavior we saw (in years past),\u201d Chancey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n About eight hours into the hearing, board members heard testimony from Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, the national Muslim advocacy group Gov. Greg Abbott designated as a foreign terrorist organization<\/a> last year. CAIR is currently suing Abbott over the designation, calling it unconstitutional and defamatory<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure that all students learn the facts and the truth about the history, and this should be inclusive and should be accurate so that every student learns to choose and we prepare them for the future,\u201d Zayan told board members..\u00a0<\/p>\n Hall repeatedly brought up CAIR\u2019s terrorist designation during the hearing, asking several questions of Muslim testifiers, including Zayan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat interest do you have as a foreign terrorist organization, in the social studies (curriculum) of the state of Texas?\u201d heasked Zayan.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is exactly what I meant when I said there is a willingness to attack Islam as a religion, but also to attack Muslims personally,\u201d Chancey said after watching a recording of Hall\u2019s and Zayan\u2019s interaction which contained many allegations regarding Islam\u2019s connections to terrorism. \u201cThat’s very open. There’s no shame about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall maintains he remained \u201cprofessional and civil\u201d throughout the hearing and followed the board\u2019s operating rules.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s top elected GOP officials, including Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, have leaned into anti-Islam talking points, which Chancey said likely gives activist groups further confidence to follow suit. He believes State Board of Education members are \u201cfollowing those cues.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a news release<\/a> Friday afternoon, CAIR officials denounced anti-Islam remarks made at the board hearing, saying Hall \u201cweaponized political rhetoric to interrogate CAIR leadership on baseless terrorism links.\u201d<\/p>\n Chancey maintains many of the concerns raised about Islam are based on misinformation, and he sees education as key for people of all faiths, elected or not, to understand each other.<\/p>\n As they prepare to finalize the curriculum, Chancey said, State Board of Education members should carefully consider the portrayal of Islam.\u00a0<\/p>\n Multimedia journalist Maria Crane contributed reporting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Goss-TrueTexasMeeting-05-1024x683.jpg\")
Fran Rhodes, True Texas Project president, speaks during a monthly meeting July 14, 2025, at the Texas Star Golf Course in Euless. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0407-IslamTTP-MC-08-1024x683.jpg\")
True Texas Project members board a bus outside Grapevine\u2019s First Baptist Church on April 7, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0305-FLJPanel-MC-013-1024x683.jpg\")
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State Board of Education member Brandon Hall pictured during a Lake Worth ISD school board meeting Dec. 15, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n