The debate over Sharia law has entered the Frisco mayoral race, with candidate Rod Vilhauer making the issue part of his campaign message ahead of the May 2 election.<\/p>\n
The race includes John Keating<\/a>, Shona Sowell<\/a>, Rod Vilhauer<\/a>, and Mark Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vilhauer, who is running for mayor, has campaigned<\/a> on preventing the influence of Sharia law in Frisco. His comments come as state and federal officials have increasingly focused on Sharia law, Islamic organizations, and Muslim-centered developments in North Texas.<\/p>\n State And Federal Scrutiny<\/p>\n As previously reported<\/a> by The Dallas Express, Attorney General Ken Paxton recently demanded documents from a Dallas-based Islamic tribunal as part of an investigation into its alleged use of Sharia law.<\/p>\n The Islamic Tribunal\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0states that it recently updated its language \u201cto eliminate public confusion\u201d and says the changes were \u201conly changes in wording, not in our work.\u201d The website says the tribunal provides \u201cvoluntary, non-binding religious guidance only\u201d and does not replace civil courts or issue decisions with legal effect under Texas or U.S. law.<\/p>\n The tribunal also posted internal guidelines stating that its advisors \u201cdo not function as judges,\u201d that participation is \u201ccompletely voluntary,\u201d and that participants remain free to consult civil courts, licensed attorneys, or counselors at any time.<\/p>\n Paxton also secured a temporary injunction<\/a> against a municipal utility district in Hunt and Collin counties, blocking actions tied to the East Plano Islamic Center\u2019s EPIC City development.<\/p>\n As previously reported<\/a> by The Dallas Express, Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations under Texas law in November, barring them from acquiring Texas land and authorizing the attorney general to sue to shut them down.<\/p>\n CAIR disputed the designation, calling<\/a> it defamatory and saying it had \u201cno basis in law or fact.\u201d CAIR-Texas separately argued that efforts to ban \u201csharia\u201d amount to a \u201cdirect assault\u201d on religious freedom and are rooted in \u201cdebunked conspiracy theories.\u201d<\/p>\n Vilhauer\u2019s comments mirror concerns raised by U.S. Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), who warned<\/a> in a November House floor speech that Sharia and the U.S. Constitution are \u201cfundamentally at odds with one another.\u201d Self argued that Sharia conflicts with American protections for free speech, religious liberty, women\u2019s rights, and equal treatment under the law.<\/p>\n International Attention And Context<\/p>\n The issue has also drawn attention in the United Kingdom<\/a>, where Sharia councils operate as advisory religious bodies rather than formal courts. Critics there have raised concerns about whether some councils pressure Muslim women in divorce, custody, and inheritance disputes or blur the line between religious guidance and civil authority.<\/p>\n