Hopkins County commissioners unanimously approved a measure denouncing Sharia law, becoming the third Texas county to do so, U.S. Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) announced Friday.
“Thank you to these great patriots for standing strong for our Western Christian Civilization,” Self wrote on X. “SHARIA HAS NO PLACE IN AMERICA.”
The county’s November 10 agenda listed the measure as a proclamation denouncing Sharia law under item 12(b). Self described the approved measure as a resolution in his November 13 announcement.
Three counties take a stand
Hopkins joins Camp and Van Zandt counties in formally condemning Sharia law. Camp County commissioners approved their resolution unanimously Tuesday in Pittsburg, where a packed courtroom applauded the result, as The Dallas Express reported.
Camp County’s measure affirms the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and cites equal rights and due process. It opposes implementing Sharia law in the county, across Texas and nationally. Van Zandt County adopted a similar proclamation on October 7.
Self has also taken the issue to Congress. He introduced House Concurrent Resolution 116 on September 3 to denounce Sharia law and oppose its implementation in the United States. The proposal argues that competing legal systems must not supersede the Constitution or undermine individual liberties.
Texas courts confront the legal stakes
Texas courts have already faced disputes over whether to recognize foreign judgments based on Islamic law.
On September 25, the Texas Supreme Court rejected recognition of a Pakistani divorce in Azhar v. Choudhri. A Houston man had obtained the divorce through talaq, a unilateral divorce procedure under Islamic law, without giving his wife adequate notice.
The couple had accumulated more than $100 million in community assets. The wife learned of the divorce two years after it became final, the court said. The justices sent the case back to the trial court, grounding their decision in the notice required by due process.
In North Texas, imam Karim AbuZaid has argued that only Sharia could bring peace, according to The Dallas Express’ November 9 coverage of his sermons. His group plans a mosque and Islamic outreach academy at a former Richardson Baptist church.
Discussing scripture in a November 6 sermon, AbuZaid said “the believers now have to confront the disbelievers,” adding “not necessarily physically.” He cited debate and elections as lawful means, then spoke of escalation to confrontation. He also said he would not force Sharia on people.
In a November 12 written response to The Dallas Express, AbuZaid rejected violence, intimidation and forced conversion. He said his remarks about escalation did not call for physical confrontation and described the election results as creating a more favorable climate for Muslims to worship, teach and serve.
Incoming congressman warns about Sharia
U.S. Rep.-elect Jace Yarbrough (R-Texas), who will represent the 32nd Congressional District, called Sharia law “completely incompatible” with American values in an interview Fox News Digital published November 13. He also backed “stopping immigration altogether for a time because of how insane this has gotten.”
Yarbrough previously told The Dallas Express that he supported a temporary immigration halt, ending chain migration and banning Sharia law practices nationwide, arguing that those practices conflict with American constitutional principles.
