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<\/p>\nGov. Greg Abbott has asked North Texas district attorneys and Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate what Abbott called \u201cSharia tribunals masquerading as legal courts.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In a letter sent to the officials on Wednesday, Abbott pointed to the Islamic Tribunal<\/a>, which launched in Dallas in 2014. He said the group had set up a rival court system to illegally enforce Sharia, moral rules laid out in Muslim scriptures.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200b\u200bThe Constitution\u2019s religious protections provide no authority for religious courts to skirt state and federal laws simply by donning robes and pronouncing positions inconsistent with western civilization,\u201d Abbott\u2019s letter said.<\/p>\n Breaking News<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n The tribunal\u2019s founder, Taher El-badawi, referred a request for comment to local attorney Khalid Hamideh. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to remind the Governor that religious courts have been a part of this republic since its founding,\u201d Hamideh said in a statement. \u201cTheir existence and operation are fully protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement said the tribunal\u2019s judges only handle mediation and arbitration in family law disputes, like divorces. A judge\u2019s decision is referred to Texas courts for a final ruling and for enforcement, according to the statement.<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s letter said religious organizations were permitted under Texas law to \u201cadjudicate ecclesiastical questions\u201d but not to set up separate courts to \u201cevade neutral and generally applicable laws,\u201d as he said the Islamic Tribunal had done. <\/p>\n \u201cDespite suggesting that submission to its jurisdiction is voluntary, the Tribunal commands that all \u2018Muslims here in American are obligated to find a way to solve conflicts and disputes according to the principles of Islamic Law\u2019 and it steers them away from \u2018[t]he courts of the United States of America [which] are costly and consist of ineffective lawyers,\u2019\u201d according to Abbott\u2019s letter, which quoted from the tribunal\u2019s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, which Abbott declared a foreign terrorist organization<\/a> this week, released a statement Wednesday calling Abbott\u2019s new directive an attack on religious freedom. <\/p>\n \u201cGreg Abbott appears to understand the law as well as he understands Texas Muslims \u2014 not at all,\u201d CAIR\u2019s statement said. \u201cIf Abbott is referring to private arbitration that businesses, religious communities, and others sometimes choose to engage in, every American has the right to engage in voluntary arbitration, only official courts can enforce private arbitration decisions, and such decisions must not violate public policy or the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR\u2019s national deputy director, said in an interview that people of many faiths use religiously based arbitration as an alternative to filing a lawsuit. <\/p>\n Organizations that offer such a service include The Institute for Christian Conciliation<\/a>, which says online it resolves disputes in a \u201cbiblical manner,\u201d and The Beth Din of America<\/a>, which describes itself as a rabbinical court \u201cfirmly anchored in the principles of halacha (Jewish law)\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/KRRZLWPWGNHDLGKBL7END55Z6M.jpg\")
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