As 2026 has unfolded, it has become increasingly clear that attention is properly focused on the rise of Islamic influence in Texas. We are a state of many religions in a nation that promises religious freedom, but recent developments have raised concerns about attempted incursions into Texas law and constitutional governance.
As a result, I have engaged in numerous conversations on the topic, and as growing numbers of elected officials express their apprehensions, I expect to be involved in even further discussions.
What I did not expect was an argument with a Saturday Night Live alumnus.
The back-and-forth over Islam in Texas is not new. The infamous EPIC City residential project was preceded by various stories featuring the influence and connections of advocacy groups like CAIR, the discovery of certain types of Muslim outreach in schools, and questions over whether certain self-styled Islamic tribunals or mediation bodies signaled attempts to advance Sharia law.
There are two unwise paths in assessing these threats. One is to underplay them, as if there is nothing to see here, or even worse, to identify proper vigilance as Islamophobia. The other is to exaggerate the current landscape while complaining that our state is doing nothing about it.
On that second path, enter Rob Schneider.
I have always liked the guy. His early ‘90s SNL highlights included the Richmeister, the office busybody hovering over co-workers “makin’ copies.” In his film library, Grown Ups and the Deuce Bigalow movies always made me laugh. Even more welcome was his journey into conservatism a little over a decade ago. Since then, he has been an effective voice in the culture, pushing back against its inherent leftism while sticking up for free speech.
I’m sure he felt he was sticking up for Texas a few days ago with a post showing Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton in full hijab head coverings, lamenting that they “have held Power in Texas for over a decade while watching the state undergo rapid Islamization and they still refuse to use the full forces of their offices to stop it.”
Patrick, who rarely misses an opportunity to invoke Jesus in both personal and political spheres, draws peculiar fire from Schneider in the barrage of posts that followed: “Maybe Dan should start considering the safety of Christian Texans.”
Paxton is “Christianophobic” and a “useless Attorney General” in this ongoing stream of invective, which includes another image alongside Abbott, both in full burquas, “at the mosque this morning.” The tirade peaks with a wordy diatribe describing Europe’s lurch toward Islamic conversion (a solid point), Islam’s hostility to Christianity and the West (another solid point), and the complete failure of Texas leaders to do anything about it, apparently because they are in the tank for the jihadists, willfully welcoming an invasion.
And that is, of course, absurd.
There is a strain of argument practiced by the occasional adolescent, in which a point is clumsily amplified in the hope that it has more impact. In the hands of intellectually dishonest adults, this can lead to moments like the baseless 1980s claims of 6 million American homeless, or more recently, the guarantee that human productivity will put our coastal cities underwater.
In evaluating what some Islamists have in mind for Texas, one can look at the news of the last few years and find no shortage of examples that range from raising eyebrows to raising genuine alarm. But it is a special blindness that would lead someone to smear the state’s leadership as inert amid these headlines.
Abbott has formally designated CAIR and the Muslim brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, blocking them from acquiring land in Texas. He signed House bill 4211, preventing residential developments structured as “Sharia compounds.”
Paxton has sued CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood chapters, demanding records from an Islamic tribunal accused of presenting its religious arbitration as the equivalent of state judicial authority. He has made clear that while voluntary religious mediation among consenting adults is an article of religious freedom, a parallel court system claiming to supersede Texas law will not be tolerated.
Ahead of next year’s legislative session, Patrick has elevated the prevention of Sharia law as a legislative priority, directing Senate committees to examine housing, discrimination, and foreign influence in public institutions.
Not exactly the track record of a state asleep at the switch. Yet in the ham-handed rhetoric of alarmists, no pushback is sufficient to meet their bar, which seems at times to be the eradication of the entire religion across the state.
With an assessment of Schneider as a generally good-natured figure interested in constructive engagement, I reached out for a radio interview, observing that his admonishments had drawn mixed reaction, “a combination of support for the proper alarm you share, and questions about the optics of criticizing our top officials as being soft, in an election season.”
His one-word reply: “Pass.” Then: “I answered those very questions in my statement. Perhaps you should read it.”
In the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, who enjoyed the therapeutic writing of scathing letters and then never sent them, I envisioned a retort along the lines of, “Hey, clown boy, I did read it, and I’m giving you the chance to substantiate its spurious claims.”
I opted instead for the high road: “I did read it, and I find the core concerns laudable. The uninformed smear of our officials, not so much. Perhaps your next statement can contain specifics on what you think these leaders are not doing. Meanwhile, thanks for years of great entertainment; you’re welcome on the show anytime, agree, or disagree.”
He wasn’t done. “It is laughably obvious what these ‘leaders’ are not doing,” he added. “You are being conquered in broad daylight.” I guess considering something “laughably obvious” relieves one of the obligation of providing examples.
There are proposals that may be worthy of consideration to erect even more reliable barriers to Islamist attempts to skirt Texas and federal law. Muslim expansion may be impeded in any fashion that crosses those lines, and there is broad latitude in the cultural and educational spheres to accept or reject any content according to community tastes.
Freedom of religion is a guiding beacon, but that freedom does not extend to Sharia courts, police no-go zones, residential segregation or diminution of the cultural and faith landscape of Texas.
If we are interested in protecting our state, exaggerated claims damage the cause. When every billboard, school event or housing proposal is framed as an existential invasion, the public grows either hysterical or numb. Serious inquiry loses credibility when paired with unverified assertions, enabling actual Muslim expansionists to discredit the efforts as bigotry.
Free speech means anyone can spout off about virtually anything. Ours is a superior society because it permits such liberty. But the key to addressing the highly noticeable and justifiably disquieting designs of radical Islam in Texas is to fight hard, and fight smart.
Mark Davis is a talk show host for Salem Media: 660amtheanswer.com. X: @markdavis
The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Dallas Express, its editors, or its staff.
