“Our citizens deserve to live in a Sharia-free America – the facts are undeniable, radical Islam is an alien ideology that seeks to dominate American life,” Gill said to DX. “Research shows that 33% of Muslims in the U.S. believe that Islam should be declared as our national religion.”
Gill joined a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Sharia-Free America” on February 10, where he interviewed key witnesses about the spread of radical Islam, including in Texas.
Legislators interviewed witnesses, including George Mason Professor of Law Ilya Somin, David Horowitz Freedom Center Shillman Fellow Robert Spencer, RAIR Foundation Texas Director Krista Schild, and Pelican Institute for Public Policy Chairman Stephen Gelé.
‘Islam as a Political Ideology’
“This is an issue that I hear all the time from my constituents in North Texas, who are concerned about the rise of radical Islam,” Gill said in his opening remarks.
Gill asked Somin if he was aware of American Muslims’ support for things like Sharia law, banning images of Muhammad, and making Islam the national religion. He pointed to several studies from The Heritage Foundation.
Not even the Democrat witness could deny the threat: radical Islam is an alien ideology that seeks to dominate American life. pic.twitter.com/B97isSU0OK
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) February 10, 2026
“I’m just asking if those statistics concern you,” Gill said.
“If they were accurate, they would be a matter of concern, but I would want to see the more accurate survey,” Somin replied.
“They are accurate, and I think that they are a matter of concern, and I think most Americans agree with me,” Gill said.
Gill then turned to Spencer. He asked if “Islam as a political ideology” is compatible with America’s constitutional framework.
“Certainly not,” Spencer replied. “It denies the freedom of speech, denies the equality of rights of non-Muslims with Muslims, the equality of rights of women with men, and contradicts U.S. law and numerous other particulars.”
Gill asked Spencer to describe the goal of political Islam.
“Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, said Islam must dominate and not be dominated,” Spencer replied. “In every Sharia state that is on earth today and has ever been on earth, non-Muslims have not had equality of rights with Muslims.”
Gill then turned to Schild to discuss issues in Texas.
“Can you explain to us very briefly, what is EPIC City?” Gill asked.
“To understand how Sharia relates to EPIC City, you don’t have to look any further than Imam Yasir Qadhi of EPIC,” Schild said.
She pointed to Qadhi’s role as chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America – the group that instructs Muslims how to implement Sharia law in America.
EPIC is planning an Islamic city in rural Collin County, initially called EPIC City, as The Dallas Express reported. After public backlash and an investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton, the developers have renamed it The Meadow.
Gill asked who is funding EPIC City.
“When EPIC City was first marketed, they actively solicited investors, including foreign investors,” Schild said. “That fundraising model is now under serious legal scrutiny.”
Radical Islam in Texas
When the EPIC mosque held a candidate forum on February 9, House District 32 candidate Abteen Vaziri condemned the Iranian regime and Sharia law – sparking backlash from the crowd. The Dallas Express obtained exclusive video of the event.
🚨BREAKING: Chaos breaks out at the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) candidate forum as Iranian-born TXCD32 Republican Primary Candidate, Abteen Vaziri, challenges Sharia law and defends Israel.
DX's Logan Washburn was there. Story and more exclusive videos tomorrow at… pic.twitter.com/RCiGokP6ub
— The Dallas Express News (@DallasExpress) February 10, 2026
Meanwhile, the Dubai firm SEE Holding is planning a 2,300-acre “Sustainable City USA” in Kaufman, The Dallas Express reported.
Several residents and Rep. Keith Self expressed concern about potential Islamic influence, citing the developer’s history of prominent mosques in previous cities. Paxton launched an investigation and pledged to stop any “Sharia city.”
Lt. Gov Dan Patrick recently asked the state Senate to hold interim hearings on EPIC City and Sharia law.
The Council on American Islamic Relations-Texas sent a letter to Patrick and state senators on February 9, urging them to reverse course. The group emphasized that the U.S. Constitution, Texas Constitution, and existing laws already apply.
“We support equal rights, equal protection, and the rule of law as envisioned by the Founders and guaranteed by our constitutions,” the group wrote.
CAIR-Texas then claimed the problem of Sharia law “does not exist” in the state, saying the religious code only applies to personal conduct and not civil authority in Texas.
“There is no parallel judicial system operating in Texas,” the group wrote. “The best way to defeat a ghost is not to chase it endlessly, but to recognize that it is not real.”
The next day, Patrick vowed to continue the hearings, as The Dallas Express reported. He pointed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2025 designation of CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization, which cited the group’s ties to Hamas.
“I will get to the bottom of the ‘EPIC City’ and ‘Sharia Law’ issues in Texas,” Patrick wrote at the time.
