The only mosque for miles around in Deer Park sits in a small strip mall, nestled between a smoke shop and a Vietnamese restaurant, its entrance marked by a prayer in Arabic.<\/p>\n
A handful of men, cordoned off from female worshippers by a curtain, kneel silently on green carpet inside. More worshippers arrive as Friday midday worship begins. By the time the imam finishes his talk, at least 50 men have gathered. Stragglers crowd around the entrance and sit cross-legged along the walls.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Members of the Muslim community participate in Friday prayers at the Mariam Center in Deer Park, Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Members of the Muslim community participate in Friday prayers at the Mariam Center in Deer Park, Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
A detail inside the Mariam Center is photographed before Friday prayers in Deer Park on Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Members of the Muslim community participate in Friday prayers at the Mariam Center in Deer Park, Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Posters inside the Mariam Center is photographed before Friday prayers in Deer Park on Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Members of the Muslim community participate in Friday prayers at the Mariam Center in Deer Park, Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Since 2017, this strip mall has been home to what organizers say is the only mosque in Deer Park or nearby La Porte. The group is growing and ready to build its own space, according to leaders \u2014 but its plans have recently been met with a\u00a0wave of pushback<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n GOP CONVENTION: As Texas Republican leaders preached unity, delegates targeted Muslim party members<\/a><\/p>\n The volunteer-run community, called the La Porte Islamic Center, bought land in La\u00a0Porte about four years ago and is still fundraising to pay off the $600,000 purchase<\/a>. They have not yet applied for permits with the city or begun any construction on a new building, according to community leaders and La Porte\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n In early July, Vince Vandergraff, who says he grew up in La\u00a0Porte, started a Change.org petition<\/a> seeking to stop any construction of a La Porte mosque. As of Monday, the petition had garnered over 1,600 signatures. The new mosque has also been a talked-about topic<\/a> on local Facebook groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vandergraff\u2019s petition cited a range of concerns about the potential mosque and highlighted mosque leaders\u2019 plans for the building to seat 1,000 people. Vandergraff worried that a mosque that big would increase traffic, strain local resources, and impact \u201csocial harmony.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe cultural fabric of La Porte has been woven over years of shared history and community-building,\u201d the petition read. It urged city leaders to \u201cre-evaluate the necessity and implications\u201d of building a mosque in a city of about 38,000<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n EPIC CITY: Abbott launches regulatory blitz against planned Muslim-centric neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n In a Tuesday statement to the Houston Chronicle, La Porte mayor Rick Helton didn\u2019t say whether the city would try to block the construction of the mosque.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been pleased to have the opportunity to visit with a number of residents who have seen the online discussions and share their perspectives with us,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThese conversations are welcome and are a part of a healthy local government.\u201d<\/p>\n The petition, written by Vandergraff with the assistance of artificial intelligence, said it was \u201cnot a plea against any religion\u201d and supported \u201cfreedom of religion.\u201d But in a Monday email to the Chronicle, Vandergraff said he \u201cwould not call Islam a religion at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIslam poses a threat to every community it enters,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThey want to replace our laws with their own,\u201d he said of Muslim people.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: Man charged with making terroristic threat at Houston’s Ismaili Center<\/a><\/p>\n Of the more than 20 comments under the Change.org petition, most denigrated Islam, fearing an \u201cIslamic takeover\u201d or saying \u201cThere is no place for Islam in Texas !!\u201d<\/p>\n Neil\u00a0M, a volunteer leader of the La Porte Islamic Center, told the Chronicle on Friday that after the petition was posted, someone called the mosque and used racial slurs against him and another volunteer, saying the volunteer should \u201cgo back to Bangladesh.\u201d He requested the Chronicle use only his first name and last initial due to concerns about his family\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n In his 25 years living in Deer Park, Neil said that was the first time someone had called him a \u201cderogatory name.\u201d He said a complaint was filed with the Deer Park Police Department to document the incident. The department did not respond to phone and email requests for comment.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Two young boys sit beside one another during Friday prayers at the Mariam Center in Deer Park on Friday, July 17, 2026. The congregation currently gathers at the center while raising funds to build a mosque in nearby La Porte.<\/p>\n Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n Politicians weigh in<\/p>\n The Muslim group\u2019s plans to expand have already drawn criticism from at least one candidate for elected office, as warnings about \u201cSharia law\u201d<\/a> continue to dominate Texas Republican messaging this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: Religion experts address Republican messaging on\u00a0Sharia law<\/a><\/p>\n Pastor Richard Vega, who’s running for Precinct 2 Harris County Commissioner, referenced plans for a La Porte mosque in a campaign ad video earlier this month. “LA PORTE IS DEMANDING ANSWERS!” he began his video caption, which mentioned plans for what he called a “massive Islamic center.”\u00a0Vega did not respond to multiple phone requests and an emailed request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In the ad, Vega bashed his Democratic opponent, incumbent Commissioner Adrian Garcia, for telling the Muslim community: \u201cI\u2019ve got your back.\u201d\u00a0He also blasted Garcia for attending a Ramadan event with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott declared in a news release<\/a> last year that CAIR was a terrorist organization, and later asked Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a> to shutter its branch in Texas.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n