Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Texas American Muslim University — known as TexAM — accusing the Richardson-based group of illegally presenting itself as a university, offering degrees it had no authority to grant, and misleading students about its legitimacy.
The lawsuit directly names TexAM along with three individuals associated with its operations: Shahid A. Bajwa, Bilal Piracha, and Arsalan Shahzad.
“TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy,” Paxton said via press release on May 18. “My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas.”
According to the official announcement from Paxton’s office, TexAM was never even issued the certificate of authority required under Texas law to operate a private postsecondary institution. Despite that, the group advertised bachelor’s and master’s programs, promoted a student campus in Richardson, and solicited students online and from overseas.
Paxton’s office added that TexAM’s nonprofit corporate charter was forfeited in February 2026 and remains forfeited.
Paxton wants the court to shut TexAM down for good, block any attempt to resume operations, and collect more than $1 million in civil penalties for their alleged violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Education Code.
A Story The Dallas Express Has Been Tracking
The Dallas Express first reported on TexAM in early May, spotlighting how the “university” was advertising itself as “the first university in the United States to offer STEM degree programs embedded with mandatory courses in Islamic Studies.”
The “university” listed a physical address at 1100 E. Campbell Road in Richardson – a building also associated with the Dallas Diyanet Mosque and the Islamic Seminary of America – and was advertising Spring 2026 admissions across four undergraduate programs and a master’s degree in artificial intelligence, with discounted tuition of $99 per three-credit course for foreign students.
No accrediting agency was listed on its website.
The Dallas Express repeatedly asked TexAM to clarify its accreditation status and whether it had state authorization to award degrees, and eventually received a response. Founder Bajwa pushed back on a few concerns, saying the school had not charged tuition, was funded by donations, and would not grant degrees until it secured the required approvals.
“At present, TexAM University does not grant degrees, certificates, or credentials… We will not offer degrees until all regulatory approvals are secured,” Bajwa told DX in a written statement.
However, as DX reported, TexAM’s website told a different story, advertising degree programs, course fees, and mandatory Islamic Studies.
On May 7, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board issued TexAM a cease-and-desist letter at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, finding that the school was operating illegally and ordering it to stop advertising degree programs and enrolling students.
Two days later, the Texas A&M University System sent its own cease-and-desist letter, objecting to TexAM’s branding, which it said was likely to cause public confusion about any affiliation with the Aggie system.
That letter from Abbott’s office had warned that noncompliance from TexAM could result in a referral to the Attorney General’s office. That referral has now become a full lawsuit.
What Comes Next
With TexAM’s website now offline, the legal proceedings will determine whether civil penalties follow and whether the three named defendants face any legal accountability. Paxton’s office is pressing for a permanent court order – one that would shut down not just the school, but any unauthorized operations TexAM might try to resume in Texas.
