Overview

• Viral videos show Imam F. Qasim ibn Ali Khan urging Muslim-owned stores to drop pork, alcohol, and gambling products while warning of protests and boycotts.
• Gov. Greg Abbott urged Texans to report any attempts to impose religious compliance to local police or the Department of Public Safety.
• Abbott pointed to a 2017 statute that bars Texas judges from applying foreign law, presenting it as evidence that Sharia is banned in the state.
• CAIR rejected the governor’s characterization, saying Sharia encompasses everyday religious practice and arguing that it is inaccurate to claim it is banned.
• Reporters note no arrests or threats of violence; peaceful demonstrations outside businesses are generally protected under the First Amendment, and Abbott also linked the episode to ongoing scrutiny of the proposed EPIC City project.