“Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution: Part II”

1[House Hearing, 119 Congress]2[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]34                   SHARIA-FREE AMERICA: WHY POLITICAL5                 ISLAM & SHARIA LAW ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH6                      THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: PART II7=======================================================================89                                HEARING1011                               BEFORE THE1213                     SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION AND14                             LIMITED GOVERNMENT1516                                 OF THE1718                       COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY1920                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES2122                    ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS2324                             SECOND SESSION2526                               __________2728                        WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 20262930                               __________3132                           Serial No. 119-673334                               __________3536         Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary3738[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]3940               Available via: http://judiciary.house.gov4142                               __________4344                 U.S GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE4563-735                 WASHINGTON : 202646=======================================================================4748                       COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY4950                        JIM JORDAN, Ohio, Chair5152DARRELL ISSA, California             JAMIE RASKIN, Maryland, Ranking53ANDY BIGGS, Arizona                      Member54TOM McCLINTOCK, California           JERROLD NADLER, New York55THOMAS P. TIFFANY, Wisconsin         ZOE LOFGREN, California56THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky              STEVE COHEN, Tennessee57CHIP ROY, Texas                      HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, Jr.,58SCOTT FITZGERALD, Wisconsin              Georgia59BEN CLINE, Virginia                  TED LIEU, California60LANCE GOODEN, Texas                  PRAMILA JAYAPAL, Washington61JEFFERSON VAN DREW, New Jersey       J. LUIS CORREA, California62TROY E. NEHLS, Texas                 MARY GAY SCANLON, Pennsylvania63BARRY MOORE, Alabama                 JOE NEGUSE, Colorado64HARRIET M. HAGEMAN, Wyoming          LUCY McBATH, Georgia65LAUREL M. LEE, Florida               DEBORAH K. ROSS, North Carolina66WESLEY HUNT, Texas                   BECCA BALINT, Vermont67RUSSELL FRY, South Carolina          JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA, Illinois68KEVIN KILEY, California              SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California69GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin            JARED MOSKOWITZ, Florida70BRAD KNOTT, North Carolina           DANIEL S. GOLDMAN, New York71MARK HARRIS, North Carolina          JASMINE CROCKETT, Texas72ROBERT F. ONDER, Jr., Missouri       Vacancy73DEREK SCHMIDT, Kansas74BRANDON GILL, Texas75MICHAEL BAUMGARTNER, Washington7677                                 ------7879        SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION AND LIMITED GOVERNMENT8081                         CHIP ROY, Texas, Chair8283TOM McCLINTOCK, California           MARY GAY SCANLON, Pennsylvania,84THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky                  Ranking Member85HARRIET HAGEMAN, Wyoming             STEVE COHEN, Tennessee86WESLEY HUNT, Texas                   PRAMILA JAYAPAL, Washington87GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin            JOE NEGUSE, Colorado88MARK HARRIS, North Carolina          BECCA BALINT, Vermont89ROBERT F. ONDER, Jr., Missouri       SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California90BRANDON GILL, Texas                  DANIEL S. GOLDMAN, New York9192               CHRISTOPHER HIXON, Majority Staff Director93                ARTHUR EWENCZYK, Minority Staff Director9495                           C O N T E N T S9697                              ----------9899                        Wednesday, May 13, 2026100                           OPENING STATEMENTS101102                                                                   Page103104The Honorable Chip Roy, Chair of the Subcommittee on the105  Constitution and Limited Government from the State of Texas....     1106The Honorable Mary Gay Scanlon, Ranking Member of the107  Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government from108  the State of Pennsylvania......................................     5109The Honorable Jim Jordan, Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary110  from the State of Ohio.........................................    11111The Honorable Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on112  the Judiciary from the State of Maryland.......................     8113114                               WITNESSES115116Ammon S. Blair, Senior Fellow, Texas Public Policy Foundation117  Oral Testimony.................................................    11118  Prepared Testimony.............................................    14119Amy Mekelburg, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, RAIR Foundation USA120  Oral Testimony.................................................    17121  Prepared Testimony.............................................    19122Marco Hunter-Lopez, Sophomore, Wylie High School, Wylie, Texas123  Oral Testimony.................................................    22124  Prepared Testimony.............................................    25125Amanda Tyler, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee for126  Religious Liberty (BJC)127  Oral Testimony.................................................    28128  Prepared Testimony.............................................    30129130          LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC. SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING131132All materials submitted by the Subcommittee on the Constitution133  and Limited Government, for the record.........................    57134135Materials submitted by the Honorable Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a136  Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited137  Government from the State of California, for the record138    An article entitled, ``Christian Nationalism and Violence139        Against Religious Minorities in the United States: A140        Quantitative Analysis,'' Sept. 2, 2024, Journal for the141        Scientific Study of Religion142    An article entitled, ``No Quarter? American Evangelicals and143        Political Violence,'' May 8, 2026, Public Religion144        Research Institute (PRRI)145    A report entitled, ``How White Supremacy Returned to146        Mainstream Politics,'' Jul. 1, 2020, Center for American147        Progress (CAP)148    An article entitled, ``Active Clubs are white supremacy's149        new, dangerous frontier.'' Aug. 26, 2025, The150        Conversation151A statement from Keith Self, Chair, House Foreign Affairs152  Committee from the State of Texas, submitted by the Honorable153  Chip Roy, Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and154  Limited Government from the State of Texas, for the record155Materials submitted by the Honorable Mary Gay Scanlon, Ranking156  Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited157  Government from the State of Pennsylvania, for the record158    A statement from Representatives Andre Carson from Indiana,159        Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib from Michigan,160        and Lateefah Simon from California, representing the161        Muslim American Members of Congress, May 13, 2026162    A letter to the Honorable Chip Roy, Chair from the State of163        Texas, and the Honorable Mary Gay Scanlon, Ranking Member164        from the State of Pennsylvania, Subcommittee on the165        Constitution and Limited Government, from multiple166        religious organizations, May 12, 2026167    A statement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations168        (CAIR), May 13, 2026169    A statement from the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations170        (USCMO), May 13, 2026171    A statement from Interfaith Alliance, May 13, 2026172    A statement from the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC),173        May 14, 2026174    An article entitled, ``Wylie ISD investigates how `Why Islam'175        group set up on campus without approval,'' Feb. 17, 2026,176        CBS News177    An article entitled, ``Islamic Society of Orange County under178        heightened security after online threats,'' Apr. 17,179        2026, LA Times180An article entitled, ``Opinion | I testified before Congress on181  the FACE Act--and became a target,'' May 8, 2026, MS Now,182  submitted by the Honorable Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the183  Committee on the Judiciary from the State of Maryland, for the184  record185186                   SHARIA-FREE AMERICA: WHY POLITICAL187                   ISLAM & SHARIA LAW ARE INCOMPATIBLE188                    WITH THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: PART II189190                              ----------191192                        Wednesday, May 13, 2026193194                        House of Representatives195196        Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government197198                       Committee on the Judiciary199200                             Washington, DC201202    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:08 a.m., in203Room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Hon. Chip Roy204[Chair of the Subcommittee] presiding.205    Present: Representatives Roy, Hageman, Hunt, Grothman,206Harris, Onder, Gill, Jordan, Scanlon, Cohen, Jayapal, Kamlager-207Dove, and Raskin.208    Mr. Roy. The Subcommittee will come to order. Without209objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess at any210time. We welcome everyone to today's hearing on sharia-free211America. I will now recognize myself for an opening statement.212    Today America faces an existential threat. The spread of213sharia law puts the very foundation of our Constitution, our214legal system, and our way of life in serious peril. In215February, this Committee held a hearing on this topic warning216of the threat and incompatibility sharia law poses to the217American people. This Congress should routinely re-examine the218existential threat facing our Republic and how to counter its219spread into our social, societal, and political systems.220    The principles of sharia law undermine the cherished221freedoms that countless Americans have suffered and even died222for since our Nation's founding. Let's remind ourselves what223sharia law and political Islam entail. Political Islam silences224dissent, prohibits religious freedom, allows barbaric225punishments, and treats women, children, and non-Muslims as226second-class citizens.227    What's more, sharia law and political Islam sanction honor228killings for adultery, death for individuals leaving the229Islamic faith, encourages polygamy for men regardless of the230women's age, allows female non-Muslims to be taken as sex231slaves in war, and permits corporal punishment like stoning and232female genital mutilation for perceived violations.233    In fact, the central sacred scripture of Islamic observers,234the Quran, has several martial calls that encourage its235followers to wage war--not just spiritual--against and conquer236non-Muslims:237238        So when you clash with the unbelievers, smite their necks until239        you overpower them, then hold them in bondage. Then either free240        them graciously or after taking a ransom, until war shall have241        come to an end.   Surah 47:4242243    It is not a religious code or belief system. It is a244repressive legal regime that betrays America's founding245principles and threatens our Constitution. In fact, it seeks to246replace it. America was founded on the basic concept of247individual freedom and self-governance under the rule of law of248a just and moral law. As John Adams succinctly put it:249250        Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious251        people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.252253    To my colleagues who may conflate critiquing Islam and254sharia as undermining the First Amendment rights of Muslims, I255remind them of the following: People do not have protection256from imposing a foreign legal system or code that overrides or257replaces U.S. civil or criminal law, nor the Constitution. The258Constitution begins with, ``We the People.'' Sharia is the259legal code for Islam and is taught to its observers to be260abided by and enforced.261    As Robert H. Jackson, an Associate Justice of the U.S.262Supreme Court, who also served as the chief United States263prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, elucidated succinctly how264liberty crushing sharia was the antithesis of Western law.265266        Islamic law offers the American lawyer a study in dramatic267        contrast . . . its striking features relative to our law are268        not likenesses but inconsistencies . . . . In its source, its269        scope, and its sanctions, the law of the Middle East is the270        antithesis of Western law.271272He was right then, and he would be right today.273    The radicals pushing political Islam do not want to coexist274with America's culture and political order. They want to275replace it. But you do not need to take my word for it.276Islamists have stated this clearly themselves. Violent jihadist277Seyyid Qutab, a thought leader of modern jihadists and278spiritual mentor for Osama bin Laden, led the Muslim279Brotherhood in Egypt and surmised sharia in his book280``Milestones'' as follows:281282        In Islam the meaning of the sharia is not limited to mere legal283        injunctions, but includes the principles of administration, its284        system, its modes.285286He said,287288        By the sharia of God is meant everything legislated by God for289        ordering man's life.290291Additionally, the Muslim Brotherhood's motto reads:292293        Allah is our objective. The prophet is our leader. The Quran is294        our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our295        highest hope.296297    Even groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations,298also known as CAIR, which masquerades as a peaceful nonprofit299advocating for U.S. Muslims and Islam, has a sordid history of300collaborating with bad actors, terror groups, and forcing301sharia in America.302    Omar Ahmad, the cofounder and longtime board Chair of CAIR,303said of Islam and its role of America, quote,304305        Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith but to306        become dominant. The Quran should be the highest authority in307        America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.308309    Just as concerning, CAIR was named as an unindicted310coconspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism311financing trial. On appeal, United States District Court Judge312Jorge Solis upheld CAIR's coconspirator status and ruled that313the Department of Justice, quote, ``produced ample evidence of314CAIR's association with Hamas.''315    A founding member of CAIR's Texas chapter, Ghassan Elashi,316was found guilty in 2009 of money laundering, tax fraud, and317providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist318organization and sentenced to 65 years in prison. What's more319is that CAIR has long been suspected of harboring ties to the320Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, the terrorist group responsible321for barbaric October 7, 2023, attacks against our friend and322ally Israel.323    The threat posed by political Islam and sharia law is not324some faraway concern. We can look at Europe to see what happens325when nations allow themselves to be invaded and let political326Islam infiltrate their society.327    In France, a recent poll found that 44 percent of Muslims328think compliance with Islamic rules is more important than329compliance with French laws.330    In the United Kingdom, Muslims are increasingly turning to331sharia courts to settle disputes rather than the U.K.'s legal332system. There are now 85 sharia law courts operating in the333country. In the United Kingdom, Mohammed is now the No. 1 most334popular baby name in the country; and, in Germany, Mohammed is335the most popular baby name among people receiving government336welfare.337    Over the past few years, sharia-based legal institutions338have taken root in American communities and nowhere is this339problem worse than in my home State of Texas. Fueled by decades340of an unsecured border and expansionist legal immigration341policies, Texas has seen a sharp increase in immigration from342the Muslim world, with many immigrants trying everything they343can to bring sharia with them.344    According to a 2026 report by the Middle East Forum, there345are approximately 650 Islamic nonprofit organizations based in346Texas, and we can see the results. The Qalam Institute, a347Deobandi institution and the leading Islamic seminary in348America, is based in Carrollton, Texas. Its leaders have been--349called American Society ``filth,'' have advocated for the350killing of apostates, and have supported the taking of sex351slaves.352    In Houston, the South Asian Islamist movement operates a353powerful and extensive network that works in direct354coordination with the Pakistani regime and Kashmiri terror355operative. An Iranian regime, known as the Khomeinists,356operates several mosques in Texas and supports a number of357proterror activist groups.358    In 2024, members of Plano Mosque tried to create their own359Islamic enclave governed by sharia law within the State of360Texas, and they called it EPIC City. Thankfully, office361holders, activists, and private citizens mobilized to try to362stop EPIC City from advancing for the time being. However, as363much of a problem EPIC City poses, sharia has spread to other364parts of Texas, attempting to transform the existing legal,365cultural, and societal structures of these communities.366    For example, in January, Texas Tech medical student Mohamad367Altabaa, whose father is a Syrian imam and ties to the Muslim368Brotherhood, bought the Arnett Elementary School campus, an369abandoned school in Lubbock and converted it into the gleaming370Unity Center mosque in 45 days.371    In March, taxpayer-funded school buses from Humble ISD took372more than 30 students from Kingwood to the Islamist-Spanish373Centro Islamico in Houston, a controversial dawah center that374glorifies the Islamic conquest of Spain; and claims Latinos'375roots are in Muslim Spain, and seeks to shape the next376generation to view Islam favorably as part of a two-front377strategy to expand sharia's influence in America.378    Also in March, a report surfaced that the Islamic Center of379Haltom City, Texas, had acquired and repurposed the former380Christ Way Bible Church, a longstanding Christian site in381Texas. The church was purchased by Ummul Qura Islamic382Foundation, which, according to their own announcements, aims383to transform this traditional church into a vibrant Islamic384center that will serve our community for generations to come.385    Just last month in Richardson, Texas, opened Al Ameera386Plaza, a 125,000-square foot office complex that now functions387as a one-stop parallel society where Muslims can fulfill every388daily need under strict sharia-compliant rules with zero389pressure to integrate into the surrounding American culture. I390could list more examples for hours.391    Just as alarming, shadow Islamic courts have popped up392across Texas. One Dallas tribunal purports to render final393judgments on disputes in accordance with Islamic jurisprudence,394placing sharia law above both State and Federal law. Both these395attempted community transformations and these Islamic courts396run counter to Texas values and are repugnant to the American397Constitution and our system of laws.398    The Islamification of American society is not just399happening in Texas; America has also seen a concerning400resurgence in violent Islamic terrorism. Since the last hearing401on this topic in February, there have been four Islamic402terrorist attacks in a three-month span, including a403naturalized citizen originally from Sierra Leone with a prior404conviction for attempting to aid ISIS opening fire at Old405Dominion University's campus, while yelling ``Allahu Akbar,''406killing someone during the attack.407    The same day as the ODU attack, a Lebanese-born naturalized408American citizen rammed his vehicle into the Temple Israel409Synagogue and preschool in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in an410allegedly targeted attack against the Jewish community, causing411a fire and injuring onsite security personnel.412    Two suspects with stated allegiance to ISIS attempted to413detonate two improvised explosive devices near the New York414City mayor's residence on Manhattan. Both suspects' parents415immigrated to the U.S. from the terror-prone countries of416Tuerkiye and Afghanistan.417    In my home in Austin, a naturalized citizen originally from418Mauritania, motivated by extremist ideologies opened fire on a419crowd in Austin, Texas, killing three people and injuring420several others before being stopped by law enforcement, all421while wearing a hoodie with the caption ``Property of Allah.''422    None of these tragedies needed to happen. Between our423overly generous and lax legal immigration policies that allowed424these attackers to enter the country in the first place and our425lack of adequate response to stopping Islamist ideology in its426tracks, our Nation remains vulnerable to sharia law and427potential terrorist attacks it could wreak. For too long,428politicians, scared of being called Islamophobic, have failed429to stop the spread of sharia law and refused to put an end to430the ceaseless immigration from the world of people who adhere431to it.432    How many more Americans must die or succumb to sharia law433before we address this critical threat to our safety and our434way of life? I've outlined much of what has happened related to435sharia in the three-months since we had the last hearing on436this issue. We cannot wait any longer to take meaningful and437decisive action.438    I believe American citizens are worth protecting.439American's Judeo-Christian principles, on which this country440were founded, is worth defending, and America's founding441principles generally are worth preserving. We must act now to442stop sharia law and the threat it that poses to our Nation and443our Constitution.444    I now recognize the Ranking Member, Ms. Scanlon, for her445opening statement.446    Ms. Scanlon. Thank you.447    This is the second time this year that this Subcommittee448has been convened to hold a hearing about sharia law, which449unsurprisingly, doesn't even rank on the list of top 10 issues450keeping Americans up at night. Actually, it doesn't appear to451be an issue anywhere in this country except in Texas, where452Republican politicians are so desperate to distract voters from453their disastrous economy and surging gas prices because, as one454Republican strategist said, ``these candidates don't want to be455talking about the economy right now.'' They've made up a456conspiracy theory about their Muslim neighbors to scare and457motivate voters.458    Repeating lies over and over and over again doesn't make459them true, and it doesn't make unConstitutional bigotry legal.460The last time this Subcommittee convened on this topic, I461wondered if our colleagues actually believed their own462hysterical and wildly unsubstantiated claims about people of463the Muslim faith trying to impose so-called sharia law on the464United States. As before, they're not producing one ounce of465proof to vindicate their fear mongering. Tellingly, they've466also not produced a single Muslim witness or expert on Islam or467sharia law.468    Now, the only thing that's changed between the last hearing469and now is that Texas' fiercely contested Republican primaries470have moved into runoff elections, now just under two weeks471away. In Texas, this issue continues to be a flash point for472Republican Federal, State, and local candidates as they473desperately compete with one another over who can be toughest474against their sharia law fantasy.475    It's a threat based not on reality but invented with476manufactured alarm because, like belief systems that guide477adherence of other faiths, including Christianity or Judaism,478sharia is about individual, personal religious observance, not479about shaping America's national laws. Contrary to the480misleading claims that have been offered here, there's no481evidence of any plot to impose sharia law on nonbelievers of482Islam. It's just not happening.483    No matter how many Right-wing influencers make videos about484it, no matter how many Texas laws are passed to combat it, or485what legislation is introduced here in D.C. with flashy486acronyms decrying it, there's no evidence that a proposed real487estate development in the Dallas suburbs, which was initiated488by members of the area's growing Muslim population, is a sharia489compound, as Texas Republicans have claimed. To say otherwise490is to spread blatant misinformation. In fact, even the Trump491Justice Department closed an investigation into the492development, finding no basis for any violation of fair housing493laws.494    Politicians standing up against made-up threats of sharia495law incursions are shamefully scapegoating Muslim Americans for496political gain without any care for how many people end up as497collateral damage to this kind of rhetoric. Because these498culture wars, including desperate political stunts like499scapegoating followers of Islam, have real-world consequences.500Words matter, and stirring up hatred and bigotry, when that501happens, real people are put at risk. Hate crimes against502Muslims in particular have increased in cynically playing on503division. To win an election, Republicans sacrifice the safety504of the very Americans they're supposed to be trying to505represent.506    The fact is, in this country, you can't ban a person's507right to practice Islam anymore than you could ban a person's508practice of Christianity, Judaism, or the decision to practice509no religion at all. Our Constitution, and particularly the510First Amendment, which was central to its adoption in 1787,511remains clear: In this country, people have the right to hold512and express whatever religious beliefs they choose, or none at513all.514    Despite the arguments we're hearing from our Republican515colleagues, we know that from our Republic's earliest days516Muslims were intended to be included within the fabric of517American life. Thomas Jefferson specifically referenced518followers of Islam among other faiths in his writings about the519passage of the Virginia statute for religious freedom in 1786,520which was one of his proudest achievements and the First521Amendment's precursor.522    This is a core component of our Constitution that's523particularly valued in my home State of Pennsylvania--which was524founded by William Penn--to promote religious freedom and where525the Constitution was written. For hundreds of years,526Pennsylvania has been home to people of many faiths and527denominations, including Protestants, Catholics, Jews,528Evangelicals, Quakers, Muslims, Sikhs, and people of no faith529at all.530    In my district, we have a growing cultural center, Africa531Town, founded by immigrants turned citizens, many of whom are532Muslim, and who have made huge contributions to our economic,533cultural, charitable, and civic life. One of our most cherished534American values is that you don't have to agree with your535neighbor's beliefs, but no one can use the power of the536government to punish or discriminate against those who do.537    Since this is the Constitution Subcommittee, any of my538colleagues who find that principle suspicious or foreign should539probably take another look at the First Amendment and the oath540they took to support and defend the Constitution.541Unfortunately, over and over again, we've seen this White House542and its Republican allies in Congress try to use the power of543the Federal Government to spy on and target Americans whose544opinions and beliefs they don't like, whether those are545religious, political, or otherwise.546    Americans know--we know at our core--that, if the547government can go after one group, it can go after all of us,548and that's why people have shown up, stood up, and spoken out549about this kind of activity. Instead of trying to score550political points at the expense of innocent people, I wish our551Republican colleagues would focus on making Americans' lives552better instead of going along with this administration when it553starts tariff wars, which have driven up the price of housing,554cars, and consumer goods; or slashing programs that Americans555rely on for better healthcare, housing, energy, and nutrition;556and starting foreign wars that have put Americans in danger,557driven up the cost of gas; or making a tax on basic liberties,558like free speech, free press, the right to peaceful protest,559or, in this hearing, freedom of religion.560    We should be uniting behind these fundamental principles561that make this country actually great, not fueling division by562going after our fellow Americans with trumped-up charges, going563after our family, our friends, our neighbors, and casting them564as the enemy.565    I'm hopeful that we won't have a third round of this566pointless hearing, but, with that, I yield back.567    Mr. Roy. I now recognize the Chair of the Full Committee,568Mr. Jordan, for his opening statement.569    Chair Jordan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.570    The Ranking Member talked about this is conspiracy theory571and fear mongering. It's anything but. This is looking at a572real concern, and I appreciate the Chair doing that.573    If we want to talk about conspiracy theory and fear574mongering, look no further than the Southern Poverty Law575Center. The Full Committee will have a hearing on that issue576next week. They were running a scam. They were paying people--577one person, one source they paid over $1 million to promote and578create the hate that they told their donors they were actually579fighting. What an operation they were running.580    You talk about fear mongering and conspiracy theory; there581you have it. We'll be looking at this issue next week. The582Biden Justice Department used the Southern Poverty Law Center583to train prosecutors setting them up as the standard for584evaluating what's a hate group, what's not. If you want to talk585about conspiracy theory and fear mongering, we'll get to that.586That's all happening on the Left, and the prime example is the587organization that is now being investigated by the Department588of Justice.589    I appreciate the Chair and the work he's doing on this590important issue, particularly in his State of Texas, and look591forward to hearing from our witnesses and thank them for being592here today.593    With that, I yield back.594    Mr. Roy. I thank Chair Jordan. I now recognize the Ranking595Member of the Full Committee, Mr. Raskin, for his opening596statement.597    Mr. Raskin. Mr. Chair, thank you, and thanks to our598witnesses.599    Forgive me, but didn't we have the exact same hearing not600that long ago? I think it's the fourth or fifth in the line. I601can't believe that the cupboard of Republican ideas is so602barren now that, to distract America from Donald Trump's603illegal, unConstitutional, ruinous war, and his ruinous,604illegal, unConstitutional tariffs, and the spiraling price of605gasoline and the unlivable economy he's created, that we have606to go back and have this exact same hearing over and over607again. Couldn't we come up with something else instead?608    It's not exactly working to reverse Donald Trump's609precipitous slide into being the most unpopular history--most610unpopular President in American history, because that's where611we are. If we're going to have another religious convocation,612perhaps next time it could be a debate between Donald Trump613dressed up perhaps like Jesus Christ and the Pope of the614Catholic Church so the Pope can answer Trump's recent615accusation that he's weak on crime.616    I never got that charge. After all, Trump himself is a617convicted felon who has pardoned more than 1,600 rioters,618insurrectionists, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, domestic abusers,619child molesters, white-collar fraudsters, and international620narcotraffickers and drug dealers, and the Pope is certainly621not weak on him. The Pope has made his views on Donald Trump622perfectly clear. I don't understand how the Trump--why Trump is623saying that the Pope is weak on crime.624    Anyway, I had this idea I wanted to float by my colleagues625to perhaps create some legislative progress in this field. The626Republicans are afraid the Muslims are going to impose sharia627law on the rest of the population. Now, I'm not so afraid of628that because we have 535 Members of Congress, and only four of629them are Muslim, which makes it extremely unlikely. How could630less than one percent of Congress impose sharia law on the631other 99 percent?632    What's even more reassuring is I actually know some of633these Muslim Americans who happen to be in Congress, and634they're all civil libertarians who stand up for the separation635of church and State. Even if they changed their minds and636convinced all the Christian, Jews, Hindus, and freethinkers in637Congress--who are 99 percent in the House--to vote for sharia638law, I'm sure someone on the Senate side, where there are no639Muslims at all, would put a hold on it like everything else640that we send over there. I'm a pretty good vote counter, and I641don't think that there would be a single vote to establish642sharia law in the U.S. Congress or in any State of the Union.643    Anyway, I had this idea to take advantage of the fact that644we all agree on this point. Why don't we generalize the645proposition of this anti-sharia law movement to say that the646government should not be endorsing or establishing any religion647in America, whether it's Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Jews for648Jesus, Seventh-day Adventism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism,649fundamental Mormonism, Unitarian Universalism, Branch650Davidianism, or Hare Krishna.651    I was playing with some language, and I came up with this652rough cut, Mr. Chair. It goes like this: ``Congress shall make653no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting654the free exercise thereof.'' What do you think about that? Do655you think that covers it? We could call the first part the656Establishment Clause; we could call the second part the Free657Exercise Clause. I know we could get that through the658Democratic Caucus. You think we could get it through the659Republican Conference? I'm not sure. I hope so. The problem is660that we've got theocrats out there across the religious661spectrum who want to elevate their own religious creeds and662dogmas above the Constitution and establish them over the663secular law.664    Take, for example, what the Texas and Louisiana665legislatures recently did. They voted to endorse the Ten666Commandments and post the Ten Commandments in every public-667school classroom in their States. I didn't even know that was668necessary because I thought the Ten Commandments were doing all669right after millennia. I didn't know they needed an endorsement670from the Republican Conference. They went ahead and did that.671    Now, they want to have votes in every State legislature to672endorse the Ten Commandments and to post the Ten Commandments.673I'm opposed to that because of the provision in the674Constitution, Article VI, clause 3, which says, ``There shall675be no religious tests for public office.'' That sounds like a676religious test when you round up all the politicians and you677ask them to vote on the Ten Commandments.678    By the way, if we are going to vote on the Ten679Commandments, Mr. Chair, I do not support that omnibus680Republican package. We should have to vote on each commandment681separately. I don't think that you should be able to vote for682any commandment you yourself have ever violated because then683we'll be taking the name of the Lord in vain.684    One politician I spoke to on the floor about this, he said685that ``you know that the Ten Commandments are the basis for the686Bill of Rights.'' He kind of confused me there for a second. I687said, ``Well, I do know that there are 10 in each one. That's688true.'' Let's test the proposition. The First Commandment says,689``Thou shall have no other God before me.'' The First Amendment690says, ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment691of a religion.'' It's hard to see how the First Commandment692dictates the First Amendment.693    Is sharia law incompatible with the Constitution as the694title of the hearing is? Sure. Is legislating any other695religious text, the Ten Commandments, the Torah, or the696Analects of Confucius or whatever, any religious scripture or697body. The whole point of our First Amendment is that people can698believe whatever they want. The government is not going to699dictate to you what your religious worship and practice are700going to be. The government is out of it.701    I did not write that language, to be clear. James Madison702wrote that language. He took care of your whole anti-sharia-law703law centuries ago. This is a complete waste of time. He had the704right idea. Madison would be appalled that the Fifth Circuit705Court of Appeals just voted nine to eight to uphold the706compulsory Ten Commandments display in every school classroom707in Texas or Louisiana.708    If Louisiana can do that, it can compel display of the Five709Pillars of Islam. Think about that. You really want to head710down that road? The States could force display of the Ten711Precepts of Buddhism, the Analects of Confucius, or the five712principles of Hinduism, if you can put up the Ten Commandments.713By the way, the Ten Commandments doesn't exist as one commonly714agreed-on body of law. If you go online, you'll find like 10 or71515 different versions of the Ten Commandments: There's a716Catholic version. There's a Lutheran version. There's a Jewish717version, a Baptist version, Mennonite, and so on. If you can718compel display of 10 of them, you can compel display of all of719them. There could be 100 commandments. There could be 150720commandments.721    Look, my friends, we don't need an anti-sharia-law law, an722anti-Christian-law law, an anti-Jewish-law law, or an anti-723Hindu-law law. We've already got one, forbidding the imposition724of any religious orthodoxy, forbidding the endorsement of any725religious orthodoxy. It's called the First Amendment, and726everybody should familiarize themselves with it, because this727is a complete waste of time what we're doing here.728    The government cannot establish, prefer, legislate, coerce,729impose, or endorse any religious doctrine, and we don't need a730special law or a special caucus to do that. If my friends731understand that, then they will reverse course on this732movement, unless the purpose of the movement is just to733demonize and vilify not a religion but adherence of the734religion. Then, I would have to believe that my colleagues are735actually out just attacking Muslims, attacking Muslim736Americans, criticizing and vilifying them for their beliefs or737their way of life. I don't want to believe that.738    I do challenge my friends to State one thing that an anti-739sharia-law law would do that the First Amendment doesn't740already do. Tell me one thing that we would need to legislate741that's not already taken care of by the Establishment Clause or742the Free Exercise Clause.743    The real threat to our Constitution comes not from744adherence of a particular religion but from turning our backs745on the Constitution and the First Amendment. Our freedoms are746not under siege by a religious minority trying to build a747community center, but they are undermined by lawmakers who748would want to turn Americans against each other on a religious749basis.750    Is it true that religious fanatics commit violent criminal751acts? Absolutely. You talk to any secular freethinker, and they752will say that every religion has produced religious fanatics753who have committed violence. Take, for example, Timothy754McVeigh, who was part of the Christian Identity Church, the755Christian Identity movement, trained on racism and anti-756Semitism; he blew up the Oklahoma Federal building in 1995, 167757people killed; 684 wounded. They blew up a nursery school. He758was a violent fundamentalist Christian fanatic. You wouldn't759blame all Christians for what he did anymore than you should760blame all Muslims, all Jews, or all members of any religious761faith because of what one person or one crazed fanatic group762does in their name.763    Mr. Chair, I trust you understand all of that. I do hope we764will return to Constitutional principles, and I yield back.765    Mr. Roy. I thank the Ranking Member. Without objection, all766other opening statements will be included in record.767    We will now introduce today's witnesses:768    Mr. Ammon Blair. Mr. Blair is a Senior Fellow at the Texas769Public Policy Foundation. His research focuses on transnational770criminal organizations, foreign terrorist networks, hostile771State influence operations, mass migration, and emerging772security threats. He previously served more than two decades773with the United States Army and is a Border Patrol agent.774    Mr. Marco Hunter-Lopez. Mr. Hunter-Lopez is a student at775Wiley East High School in Wylie, Texas, where he's the776president of the school's Republican Student Club. He also777serves on the PTA board and has been involved in national,778State, and local campaigns since he was 13. I believe that Mr.779Hunter-Lopez recently turned 16; that's correct.780    Ms. Amy Mekelburg. Ms. Mekelburg is the Founder and Editor781in Chief of the RAIR Foundation, a grassroots organization that782advocates for American values. Her work is focused on783authoritarian systems and efforts to replace Democratic784governance.785    Ms. Amanda Tyler. Ms. Tyler is the Executive Director of786the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit787organization that advocates on matters of religion. She788previously worked in Congress and private law practice.789    We thank our witnesses for appearing today, and we'll begin790by swearing you in. Would you please rise and raise your right791hand. Do you swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that the792testimony you are about to give is true and correct to the best793of your knowledge, information, and belief, so help you God?794    Let the record reflect that the witnesses have answered in795the affirmative.796    You may be seated. Please know that your written testimony797will be entered into the record in its entirety. Accordingly,798we ask that you summarize your testimony in five minutes. I'm799going to start over here on the right. Remind our witnesses to800turn the microphone on.801    Mr. Blair, you may begin your five minutes.802803                  STATEMENT OF AMMON S. BLAIR804805    Mr. Blair. Dear Chair Roy, Ranking Member Scanlon, and the806distinguished Members of the Committee, good morning and that807you for inviting me to testify before you.808    My name is Ammon Blair. I'm a Senior Fellow with the Texas809Public Policy Foundation Secure and Sovereign Nation Initiative810and a consultant for the Operation Lone Star Task Force. As811Representative Roy stated, I previously served as a United812States Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley Sector and813had more than two decades in the United States Army.814    The issue before this Subcommittee is not whether Americans815have the right to practice religion freely. They do816unequivocally. The First Amendment protects belief, worship,817religious instruction, peaceful association, and voluntary818observance. Texas law does the same. However, religious liberty819does not create immunity from the rule of law. A crime remains820a crime regardless of religion, and no religious ideological or821political system possesses a Constitutional license to violate822the rights of a sovereign Nation, a sovereign State, a823political subdivision, private property owners, or individual824citizens.825    The Constitutional issue before Congress is narrow but826foundational. The American Constitutional order recognizes dual827sovereignty between the Federal Government and the States. It828does not recognize parallel sovereign systems operating outside829Constitutional supremacy, judicial review, equal protection,830due process, or the rule of law. The Supremacy Clause, Equal831Protection, and Due Process Clauses in Article IV guarantee one832supreme Constitutional order in one Republican form of833government.834    No religious ideological, political, or organizational835system may exercise coercive civil authority independent of the836Constitution while claiming immunity from Constitutional837accountability. This distinction between protected belief and838regulable conduct is deeply rooted in American Constitutional839law.840    Under the Tenth Amendment and longstanding police-powers841doctrine, States retain inherent sovereign authority and the842ongoing duty to preserve public safety, territorial integrity,843property rights, institutional order, and domestic tranquility.844States were never meant to function as passive subdivisions845awaiting Federal permission before defending Constitutional846order. Texas stands at the center of this national security847crisis.848    Federal strategic assessments, including the 2026 U.S.849Counterterrorism Strategy and the ODNI's 2026 Annual Threat850Assessment, identify cartels and Islamic terrorism as top851homeland threats. These threats overlap and reinforce one852another through the hybrid and gray zone operations. Texas is853confronting weaponized mass migration, cartel-engineered854smuggling networks, foreign-linked governance structures855operating within our communities, and systemic failure across856the entire immigration enforcement and removal cycle.857    These dynamics have produced concentrated enclaves with858limited assimilation and fragmented allegiances, environments859actively exploited by foreign terrorist organizations, hostile860States, and transnational criminal networks. Migration861pipelines now function as operational infrastructure for862coercion, illicit finance, transnational repression, and863foreign influence.864    While all eyes are on the conflict with Iran overseas, that865conflict is not confined to distant battlefields. It is playing866out right here on our shores. Iran has waged decades-long867hybrid operations in Western Hemisphere and U.S. interior,868leveraging proxies including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Muslim869Brotherhood-linked networks alongside cartel-smuggling870infrastructure. These threat networks increasingly utilize gray871zone tactics operating under the threshold of armed conflict872inside the United States through cyber-enabled influence873operations, propaganda ecosystems, and online radical-ization874platforms to accelerate recruitment, coordination, and875institutional influence.876    These networks exploit migration corridors and distribute877institutional ecosystems inside the United States. They operate878through nonprofits, charities, educational institutions,879advocacy groups, media ecosystems, and political conditions to880pursue influence, concealment, and institutional entrenchment.881These networks pursue the very civilization jihadist process of882settlement outlined in the Muslim brotherhood's 1991883Explanatory Memorandum. That document calls for gradual884institutional entrenchment to eliminate--I say, quote,885``eliminate and destroy the Western civilization from within,''886by building parallel power structures inside American society.887    Mass migration at scale can create operational and888demographic conditions that facilitate long-term institutional889entrenchment when vetting, assimilation, and Constitutional890integration mechanisms erode.891    The Constitutional concern is not private worship or892voluntary religious practice. It arises where systems attempt893to establish coercive adjudicatory structures, assert sharia as894superior civil law, obstruct access to American courts, and895subordinate Constitutional protectives to alternative896government--governing authority.897    Texas is confronting this reality directly, exercising its898sovereign authorities, including the governance power as899Commander in Chief. Governor Abbott has designated both the900Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations901and transnational criminal organizations. Governor Abbott has902directed investigations into entities masquerading as legal903courts staffed with judges issuing orders that purportedly904carry authority to bind individuals to Islamic codes.905    The Constitution protects the broadest sphere of religious906liberty precisely because every person and institution within907the United States ultimately remains accountable to one908Constitutional system, one civil sovereign, and one rule of909law. No parallel system claiming supremacy over the910Constitution can be permitted.911    Thank you. I look forward to your questions.912    [The prepared statement of Mr. Blair follows:]913    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]914915    Mr. Roy. Thank you, Mr. Blair. I'm now going to go to Ms.916Mekelburg for her opening statement.917918                   STATEMENT OF AMY MEKELBURG919920    Ms. Mekelburg. Distinguished Members of Congress, my name921is Amy Mekelburg. I'm Founder of RAIR Foundation USA. I come922before you today out of profound love for this country and at923great personal cost. For 15 years, I have documented Islam's924assault on Europe and its dangerous advance inside of America.925    For defending Western values, Islam and its Left-wing926allies marked my family for destruction. They stalked us. They927attacked my loved ones' careers and sent death threats. Today,928I travel with armed security. A simple walk, a grocery run,929opening my front door, none of it is safe anymore. Islam has930taken that from me.931    The hardest part of this fight though has been watching my932friends pay the ultimate price. On January 29, 2025, my friend933Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian who fled to Sweden to escape934Islam, was slaughtered as I watched. Sweden put him on trial935for hate speech, for telling the truth about the threat that936killed him. Salwan predicted his own assassination. He knew937because the sharia penalty for criticizing Islam is death.938    A 1,400-year-old war is being waged inside our country.939Muhammad, the man that Muslims call their prophet, was a940military commander whose mission was to bring the world under941Islamic rule. The mission cannot be completed until America942falls. Islam is a hostile totalitarian political ideology using943our freedoms to destroy us. To every non-Muslim, it offers944three choices: Convert, submit, or die.945    It does not stop until every court, every school, and every946government on Earth is under sharia. The Muslim Brotherhood947turned this imperative into a modern conquest strategy. Two948seized documents, the 1982 Project and the 1981 Explanatory949Memorandum, detail their two-front plan: Build parallel Islamic950societies that reject assimilation while their faithful capture951our institutions. The Brotherhood wrote the playbook.952    Today, every hostile Islamic regime and faction is953executing it on our soil: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye, Qatar,954Pakistan, Hamas, and the Taliban. Different countries,955different sects, all marching in lockstep toward one conquest.956These networks operate more than 8,000 Islamic nonprofits957across America, including 650 in Texas alone. They built a958parallel infrastructure: Mosques, seminaries, school, sharia959banks, sharia courts, sharia clinics, charities, media, and960political networks. They have no plans of assimilating.961    Texas and Florida are the Brotherhood's command centers.962They're the clearest example of the first strategy: Build963massive fortresses where Muslims can live cradle to grave under964full sharia.965    In Texas, terror-tied imam Yasir Qadhi, is fighting to966build EPIC City, a 402-acre sharia compound marked as, quote,967``the epicenter of Islam in North America.''968    In Katy, an $80 million sharia compound is rising under969Brotherhood operative Main Al Qudah, whose family are leading970terrorists in Jordan.971    Hamed Ghazali, named in the 1991 memorandum, recruited972Americans for Al Qaeda. Today he writes curriculum for Islamic973schoolchildren across North America. Texas taxpayers are able974to fund him through school vouchers.975    Across America, the Brotherhood is buying churches and976converting them to mosques. A Lubbock school became a977Brotherhood mosque in 45 days. In Dallas, two imams, who preach978hand amputation, sex with captives, and stoning adulterers are979suing to seize a Christian megachurch.980    In Garland, Texas, hosts the U.S. headquarters of a981Pakistani jihadi network that trains hundreds of terrorists,982including the recent killer of the West Virginia National Guard983member.984    In Florida, third-generation Brotherhood leader Magda985Elkadi Saleh runs a self-contained Tampa enclave. A Houston986mosque led by imam appointed by the Iran supreme leader987received $1 million in tax dollars while children pledge988allegiance. Another Hamas-supporting Texas mega mosque hosted989public school field trips while its imams preached that the990fathers and brothers can kill adulterous daughters.991    Members of Congress, there is a little Muslim-American girl992right now born in Texas under our Constitution with every993sacred right our forefathers fought and died to give her. She994will never know any of them. Her own father, imam, and teachers995raise her to believe she is worth less than half a man and996Islam texts command this. If she is beaten, it is her fault; if997she is raped, no American courthouse will hear her screams; if998she is married off as a child to a pedophile, she will never999know it is a crime. She is shielded from her birthright, raised1000to hate her own country, trained to subvert it. There are1001thousands like her and they are growing fast.1002    This war's second strategy captures our institutions and1003cultures from within. Their operatives have penetrated our1004State Department, our courts, and our school boards to subvert1005the Constitution and replace it. Hamas, doing business as CAIR,1006has trained 50,000 lawyers--they boast of this--journalists,1007film makers, and influencers, to embed Islam and rewrite our1008history. When we object, they scream ``Islamophobia.'' Their1009super PAC floods our elections; mosques run voter drives.1010    Beside me is 15-year-old Marco Hunter-Lopez. He will tell1011you how the Muslim Brotherhood's student arm founded in Texas1012by Yasir Qadhi's father is targeting Texas children. For1013speaking out, Marco's safety was threatened. Our Nation's1014leaders are failing our children. Members of Congress, the1015American people are awake; Washington is not. We must choose1016the Constitution of the Koran, America or the caliphate,1017freedom or submission. There is no middle ground.1018    [The prepared statement of Ms. Mekelburg follows:]1019    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]10201021    Mr. Roy. Thank you for your testimony, Ms. Mekelburg. Ms.1022Tyler, I'll give you some extra time, OK, to make sure it's1023fair.1024    Ms. Tyler. Yes.1025    Mr. Roy. I will now recognize Mr. Hunter-Lopez for his five1026minutes.10271028                STATEMENT OF MARCO HUNTER-LOPEZ10291030    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Chair Roy, Ranking Member Scanlon, and1031the distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for1032the opportunity to testify today. My name is Marco Hunter-1033Lopez. I am a 16-year-old sophomore at Wiley East High School1034in Wylie, Texas. I've been invited to speak regarding an1035incident that occurred on February 2nd, on my campus in a1036widespread effort across Texas and the Nation.1037    Last year as a freshman, I founded the Republican Student1038Club because I wanted to foster a space for students who share1039the same values. What should've been a simple act of student1040leadership became a prolonged battle against school1041administrators who treated my group differently from every1042other club on campus.1043    On August 16, 2024, we met every requirement: Ten members,1044a teacher sponsor, and a room. Other groups, including the1045Muslim Student Association and organizations supporting gender-1046affirming ideology, were approved without issue. Our club was1047denied for being political in nature. Administrators first1048claimed a district-wide policy against political clubs. Then,1049after weeks of emails requesting the policy in writing, they1050admitted it was simply how they felt.1051    Only after more than a month of emails, pushback, and1052enormous effort were we approved. Even then, we faced hostile1053scrutiny. Principals were caught taking down our approved1054posters while I was out of town. I have a documented timeline1055of specific instances of an unfair treatment; being pulled into1056the principal's office, cornered, and talked down to.1057    After we hosted two guest speakers last year, the principal1058tried to impose new rules on the fly. My father even had to1059create--help create a guest speaker form to protect me as a1060minor. This pattern of censorship against our club stands in1061stark contrast to how administrators have handled the promotion1062of Islamic ideology and including sharia.1063    On February 2nd, I was leaving a meeting and was walking to1064the cafeteria for lunch, and I saw a large booth labeled1065``Islam'' set up in the school. Four adult women from the1066organization WhyIslam were there. I was confused and did not1067want to give it attention, but after discussing it with my1068friends, we decided to approach the booth. I had a discussion1069with the women, one in particular who they kept referring me to1070because she knew most of the theological questions. As we tried1071to understand their goal, I looked over and saw multiple1072pamphlets spread out, one of which was explicitly titled,1073``Understanding Sharia.'' This was very concerning to me and1074other students.1075    They were also making Korans available that include a1076Shahada card on the last page instructing students how to1077convert. ``To become a Muslim, one needs to make the following1078declaration: I bear witness that there is no God worthy of1079worship except God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the1080messenger of God.'' This openly occurred during lunch with1081administrators present who did nothing to intervene. The1082dangers of allowing sharia to be promoted in public schools are1083real and immediate.1084    Sharia is not simply a personal religious observance. It is1085a comprehensive legal and political system that includes1086unequal treatment, restrictions on free speech, harsh1087punishments, and fundamental incompatibility with the U.S.1088Constitution, Texas law, and American values of individual1089liberty and equality. Handing out materials that present sharia1090favorably to minors during the school day--without parental1091approval--risks normalizing ideas that undermine the very1092principles our public schools are supposed to uphold.1093    This is not neutral education; it is ideological promotion1094under the guise of diversity and inclusion. The contrast with1095my own club cannot be clearer: While the Republican Student1096Club faced denial, censorship, poster removal, and hostile1097oversight, an outside organization was given easy access to1098distribute sharia-related materials directly to students.1099Administrators not only allowed it; they actively promote1100Islamic events. The principal has enthusiastically participated1101in World Hijab Day two years in a row that we are aware of,1102when she wore a hijab and promoted it on social media saying,1103quote, ``I LOVED THIS EXPERIENCE.''1104    The district now offers halal meals, a dedicated prayer1105room for Islamic observances, and has placed a Koran in at1106least one middle school library while no bible was offered.1107Conservative and Christian student groups have never received1108comparable accommodations or leeway. This is not mere1109negligence; it is complicity through selective enforcement and1110viewpoint discrimination. School policies and State laws1111regarding outside organizations, religious materials, and guest1112activities were bypassed and ignored. No one stopped the1113distribution of the materials and sharia pamphlets in my high1114school cafeteria.1115    After not attending the school the next day due to safety1116concerns, we had to meet with the school resource officer and1117two administrators. When my mother asked if the principal could1118notify teachers to keep an extra eye on me after I received1119these threats, the principal's dismissive ``You can'' revealed1120the lack of accountability in leadership.1121    The administration has turned a blind eye or actively1122enabled the introduction of sharia-lined influence while1123censoring other viewpoints. The WhyIslam organization and event1124has documented links to the Council on American Islamic1125Relations, the Islamic Circle of North America, and the Muslim1126Brotherhood, some of which has been flagged by the Governor of1127Texas as terror linked; yet district leadership has refused to1128address these connections.1129    Public schools must remain neutral. They exist to educate,1130not promote, foreign legal systems incompatible with our own1131Constitution or favor another ideology over another. What is1132happening in suburban Wylie is not isolated. If sharia can be1133introduced this easily in a small suburban town of Wylie, it1134can happen anywhere.1135    I urge this Committee and lawmakers across the country to1136demand full investigation into these organizations and reject1137any ideology or political system that is at odds with American1138law. Parents and students deserve transparency and protection1139from ideological capture. What began as my effort to start a1140simple conservative club has revealed how quickly institutions1141can be compromised and captured when we remain silent.1142    Thank you for your time. I'm happy to answer questions and1143provide further explanations from my firsthand experience.1144Thank you.1145    [The prepared statement of Mr. Hunter-Lopez follows:]1146    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]11471148    Mr. Roy. Mr. Hunter-Lopez, thank you very much for your1149testimony. Thank you for your courage in coming up and1150testifying. I believe you're the first minor in this Congress1151to testify in the Judiciary Committee, and we appreciate you1152coming forward.1153    Ms. Tyler, you'll have a very liberal five minutes for your1154time to keep things balanced. You may proceed.11551156                   STATEMENT OF AMANDA TYLER11571158    Ms. Tyler. Good morning, Chair Roy, Ranking Member Scanlon,1159the Members of the Subcommittee. I am Amanda Tyler, Executive1160Director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. As a1161Constitutional attorney and Baptist Christian, I'm honored to1162be here to offer testimony about how targeting individuals and1163groups based on religion violates our country's Constitutional1164commitment to religious freedom for all.1165    In this 250th year of American independence, our country1166has the opportunity to reaffirm the foundational values that1167unite our diverse people. Core to what it means to be an1168American is a rich, religious freedom tradition that protects1169the free exercise of religion of all people by ensuring that1170government not single out any one religion for special favor or1171disapproval.1172    Our Founders made a deliberate choice to disestablish1173religion from government control. They did so with the1174experience of government establishments of religion in the1175places they emigrated from and in the British colonies.1176    Baptists were instrumental in advocacy for religious1177freedom for all people in the United States. This advocacy1178predates American independence by more than 150 years. Thomas1179Helwys, the cofounder of the Baptist movement, wrote ``A Short1180Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity'' in 1612. This work is1181considered the first defense of universal religious freedom1182written in English.1183    In it, Helwys wrote to King James I about the importance of1184freedom of conscience of all people, including Muslims:11851186        For men's religion to God is betwixt God and themselves. The1187        king shall not answer for it. Neither may the king be judged1188        between God and person. Let them be heretics, Turks, Jews, or1189        whatsoever, it appertains not to the earthly power to punish1190        them in the least measure.11911192    As this history informs us, religious liberty is a1193fundamental commitment, and it should protect all religions. As1194recently as last year, the U.S. Supreme Court reiterated that1195the clearest command of the Establishment Clause is that the1196government may not officially prefer one religious denomination1197over another, nor pass laws that aid or oppose particular1198religious. Anti-Muslim government action violates that clear1199command. Even proposed legislation targeting a particular1200religion can undercut our fundamental religious freedom by1201perpetuating harmful stereotypes and misinformation about Islam1202and Muslims.1203    We have seen government initiatives that manufacture an1204imaginary threat of sharia as a way of sowing anti-Muslim fear1205in the past. Unfortunately, today we are seeing a resurgence1206nationally, and particularly in my home State of Texas, of such1207efforts. Efforts like these misunderstood Islam and sharia,1208which means the path to water, and refers to the religious1209principles that guide Muslims in their beliefs and actions.1210    This broad denigration of sharia directly impacts1211approximately one percent of the U.S. population. Particularly1212at a time of rising political violence, targeting groups based1213on perceived differences threatens to exacerbate tensions and1214contributes to a culture of fear, discrimination, and violence.1215    The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published1216its annual national Islamophobia index at the end of 2025. It1217found a sharp increase in the degree of endorsement of anti-1218Muslim stereotypes compared to previous years. It also found1219that Muslims are the religious group most likely to report1220experiencing religious discrimination and the only religious1221subgroup in which a majority reported such discrimination. This1222includes social discrimination among peers, as well as1223structural discrimination, such as employment, immigration1224proceedings, and healthcare.1225    Almost half of Muslim families with children in K-121226schools reported their child was bullied for their religious1227identity, twice as much as the general public. Roughly half1228said the bullying came from another student and half said from1229an adult, either a teacher or classmate's parent. When the1230government itself targets religious groups with broad1231generalizations and baseless accusations, it only adds to the1232culture of discrimination that already harms Muslim families1233and children. It models bullying rather than respect.1234    What's more, this targeting does not just harm Muslims.1235When any person's religious freedom is threatened or diminished1236it weakens everyone's religious freedom. Rather than fear1237mongering and distorting religion for perceived political gain,1238our country's leaders should be actively working to make the1239Constitutional promise of full belonging without regard to1240religion a reality for all. Thank you.1241    [The prepared statement of Ms. Tyler follows:]1242    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]12431244    Mr. Roy. Well, thank you, Ms. Tyler. You just nailed it1245right on five minutes. You didn't even get to take the extra1246time that I was trying to offer you. I appreciate it.1247    I will now recognize the gentleman from North Carolina for1248five minutes of questions.1249    Mr. Harris. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for calling1250this important hearing to discuss the threat of political1251Islam. We're blessed to live in a country that has the1252fundamental liberty of religious freedom, and religious freedom1253allows individuals to hold and express their beliefs without1254undue government interference. It does ensure that people can1255choose their faith or no faith and practice it openly, and it's1256important to protect our individual liberties from extremism1257that seeks to erode our values as a country.1258    One example of the extremism we want to protect our country1259from occurred in just 2025 when parents in Washington State1260allegedly attempted an honor killing of their teenage daughter1261for refusing an arranged marriage. This appalling level of1262extremism is incompatible with our way of life and must not be1263allowed to take root in our country.1264    Ms. Mekelburg, in your experience investigating instances1265of political Islam in the United States, how prevalent would1266you say it's become across the country?1267    Ms. Mekelburg. In my testimony I talked about there being12688,000 organizations across the United States. They're working1269in lockstep. It is extremely prevalent and growing massively.1270    Mr. Harris. In your view, does political Islam pose a1271threat to the fundamental values of American democracy?1272    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes, it does, they openly say it.1273    Mr. Harris. Well, Mr. Blair, I want to come to you for just1274a moment. During the four years of open border policies under1275the Biden Administration, people from all around the world came1276into our country frankly without any vetting. We've seen that.1277The failure to secure our border provided those who seek to1278commit violent acts against the United States with a perfect1279opportunity to enter our Nation undetected. Mr. Blair, how did1280the Biden Administration's open border policies impact the1281spread of political Islam in the United States?1282    Mr. Blair. We were mandated--so we were mandated to look1283the other way under prosecutorial discretion. We released known1284terrorists where we didn't know it until after the fact, but we1285had multiple people from all across the world coming into the1286United States with falsified documents, specifically from Iran1287who had come in with Venezuelan documents, under the guise that1288we would not be able to identify them, which was the case.1289    That's why, later on, Representative Gonzalez was able to,1290through a FOIA, find out how many on the nondisclosed docket of1291the criminal illegal aliens that we released there were. I1292think there were a little over 600,000 of them that Border1293Patrol and ICE released during that time period.1294    Mr. Harris. Would you say there's security threats that1295grew during that period that we're still dealing with even1296today?1297    Mr. Blair. One hundred percent sir. A lot of the1298information that was given to us as Border Patrol agents when1299we were on the ground was misinformation, and we didn't have1300that time even to this day to be able to vet the information,1301whether that's going to be the sponsor, whether that's going to1302be the country of origin, even their age, even their--or their1303family status. We couldn't really vet any of that. Now, when1304ICE is trying to conduct operations or target operations, they1305have that bad information where they're going out city-to-city1306trying to find those that seek harm to our communities.1307    Mr. Harris. Thank you, sir.1308    I want to come back to Ms. Mekelburg for just a moment.1309During this Subcommittee's last hearing on this topic, I1310discussed how the FBI had successfully thwarted an ISIS-1311inspired terrorist attack in North Carolina. In that story--you1312may recall it was a national story. Christian Sturtevant, 18-1313year-old, sought to become a martyr for ISIS, planning to carry1314out a deadly attack on New Year's Eve in Mint Hill, North1315Carolina, which is right in my district.1316    Following that incident in North Carolina, I want to ask1317you, do you believe there's been an increase in ISIS using1318social media chat rooms and other features to radicalize1319Americans?1320    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes, it's something that we actually saw. I1321spent 10 years really hyper focused working in Europe, and it1322was probably one of the biggest threats, the way that ISIS and1323many different other Islamic jihadist groups are using social1324media, are disseminating very terrifying videos and imams and1325their organizations, they're pushing nonstop videos and nonstop1326recruitment efforts, yes.1327    Mr. Harris. Thank you.1328    Mr. Hunter-Lopez, let me come to you really quickly in the1329last few seconds I have. Thank you, first, for coming and1330testifying today. Since that incident occurred and the school1331district officials took full responsibility for the situation,1332have you seen a change in how the school has approached student1333clubs on campus?1334    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Yes. Actually, I have a lot of1335relationships with a lot of teacher sponsors for different1336groups, and they said that they're trying to say that they're1337putting these new policies on paper. In terms of the way that1338certain people are still being treated, there are still1339conservative students, including myself, that are still being1340treated unfairly according to the standard that they're holding1341for other people.1342    Mr. Harris. Well, I applaud you for speaking out about this1343and coming to testify today. Mr. Chair, I yield back.1344    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina. I now1345recognize the Ranking Member of the Committee, the gentleman1346from Maryland, Mr. Raskin.1347    Mr. Raskin. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. My colleague1348just spoke of apparently a Muslim family where there was an1349effort to kill their own daughter in a so-called honor killing,1350if I understand it correctly.1351    Murder is against the law in America, whether the parents1352are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or anything else. Mr.1353Blair, would we need a special law to deal with a situation1354like that, or does the universal secular law against murder1355take care of that?1356    Mr. Blair. The current law takes care of that right now.1357    Mr. Raskin. Good. OK. I'm looking at an article about a1358Christian group, an extremist Christian group that calls1359themselves the Army of God that's taken credit for bombing1360abortion clinics and lesbian night bars--do we need a special1361law against Christian extremism or Christian violence, or do we1362just hold them to the general secular law against blowing up1363health clinics and bars?1364    Mr. Blair. It needs to be held to the same law and to the1365same standard.1366    Mr. Raskin. Can you think of any situation where the1367secular law alone would not handle anybody's legitimate fears1368that they have of a fundamentalist Christian group, Muslim1369group, or any other religious group.1370    Mr. Blair. Unless it's based off the ideology of either the1371district attorney or the judge themselves, whether they1372adjudicate or not, that's going to be the difference, whether1373that process itself allows for the adjudication of that crime.1374As I said in my testimony, a crime is still a crime regardless1375of religion.1376    Mr. Raskin. Great. Stated at the level which you wrote it,1377I agree with a lot of what you said. You just basically said1378we've got to hold everybody to the secular law. Is there1379anybody on the panel who thinks that we need a special law1380addressing any particular religious population, whether it's1381the Muslim, the Christian, the Jewish, the Hindu, the Mormon,1382or what have you? Or are we just saying that everybody should1383be held to secular law in America? I'm happy to open it up to1384anybody. Mr. Hunter-Lopez?1385    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Thank you, Congressman, for the question.1386I think that you keep referring to a secular law. It's1387important to point out--I believe it was 56 of the 571388Declaration of Independence signers were Bible-believing-faith-1389church-attending Christians. I believe it was the first1390original 13 colonies that required a declaration of faith. I'm1391not acknowledging that--1392    Mr. Raskin. Oh, well, wait a second. Now, you're traversing1393my territory now, Mr. Hunter-Lopez. You brought it up. Are you1394aware that the Constitution of the United States does not1395establish a religion; it forbids the establishment a religion?1396Are you aware it doesn't mention God?1397    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. The Declaration of Independence mentions1398God four times. What I was going to say--1399    Mr. Raskin. Is the Declaration of Independence law?1400    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. The Declaration of Independence was1401declaring our independence from the tyranny of England.1402    Mr. Raskin. Yes. The Constitution is the governing law.1403    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. I'm not suggesting that we need to go1404back to taking tests or saying that you have to acknowledge--1405    Mr. Raskin. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was1406denounced as an infidel--who wrote the Declaration of1407Independence--because he didn't believe in the establishment of1408religion, and he and Madison were emphatic about separating1409church and State? That's the whole glory of our Constitutional1410design in our history that they rebelled against centuries of1411religiously warfare between the Catholics and the Protestants,1412and witchcraft trials, the Inquisition, and Holy Crusades.1413America proclaimed the separation of church and State.1414    What Thomas Jefferson described in his famous letter, the1415Danbury Baptists, as a wall of separation.1416    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. That was a letter, not a law.1417    Mr. Raskin. OK. Your position is that America is a1418theocracy?1419    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. What you didn't let me finish my original1420statement, and I understand you have limited time. What I was1421going to say is I'm not suggesting we need to go back to1422anything that's in writing, but what I am saying is we need to1423acknowledge the specific--1424    Mr. Raskin. Well, we should go back to something in1425writing. I think we should go back to the First Amendment.1426    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Oh, yes, it's the Constitution,1427obviously. What I'm saying is that--how I said original1428colonies were requiring declaration of faith to run for office,1429I'm not saying we have to go back to that--1430    Mr. Raskin. That's why we have a First Amendment.1431    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. What I'm saying is that we do--1432    Mr. Raskin. That's precisely why Jefferson wrote it.1433    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. We do need to acknowledge our Christian1434heritage in America. That's what I'm trying to--1435    Mr. Raskin. You can acknowledge whatever heritage you want,1436but you can't impose an establishment of religion on other1437people.1438    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. I'm not suggesting that at all. I am just1439saying we need to acknowledge our heritage. That's what I'm1440saying.1441    Mr. Raskin. Everybody can acknowledge their own heritage.1442Do you agree with that?1443    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. American heritage, not just any heritage1444is what I'm saying.1445    Mr. Raskin. Oh, well, you don't think that you're allowed1446to acknowledge your Christian heritage or your Jewish heritage1447or your Muslim heritage.1448    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. I'm saying you Members of Congress need1449to acknowledge American heritage.1450    Mr. Raskin. Yes, indeed, you know how we do that, by1451abiding by the Constitution of the United States, which is why1452that's exactly where I began.1453    Ms. Tyler, what do you think about this whole anti-sharia1454law thing? Do we need a special law banning sharia law?1455    Ms. Tyler. No, because we have the First Amendment to the1456U.S. Constitution that prohibits establishment of any religion,1457including Islam.1458    Mr. Raskin. Mr. Chair, I yield back to you within five1459minutes.1460    Mr. Roy. I thank the Ranking Member, and I appreciate that1461spirited exchange. I will now recognize the gentlelady from1462Wyoming, my good friend, Ms. Hageman.1463    Ms. Hageman. Thank you. In our previous hearing on this1464topic, I focused on how sharia-based tribunals will jeopardize1465America's rights to equal protection and due process under the1466law, particularly in cases involving women and minors.1467    We learned that the presence of sharia-based tribunals in1468the United States date back decades, and that it is common1469practice for these tribunals to stray from traditional judicial1470proceedings, meaning that participants risk losing protections1471guaranteed under the Constitution, as was just being debated.1472    One example of such a tribunal operating near Dallas before1473altering its website actually prided itself on being a unique1474institution of its kind in the United States with the intention1475of setting a precedent that would be emulated and duplicated1476throughout the country. That same tribunal further claimed1477that, quote,14781479        Conflicting problems within American-Muslim society may range1480        from personal and family matters, such as marriage and divorce1481        as well as disputes among community members and those in1482        positions of leadership. The courts of the United States of1483        America are costly and consist of ineffective lawyers.14841485    To be clear, conformity to the Constitution is the1486governing factor behind the operation of our judicial system.1487The Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Fourteenth Amendments are there1488to ensure that everyone has a right to a fair trial.1489    While the First Amendment is intended to ensure that every1490American citizen can practice the religion of their choosing,1491it does not permit any parallel tribunal or body to supersede1492the role of our judiciary in the protections of those1493Constitutional rights.1494    Ms. Mekelburg, sharia-based tribunals often label1495themselves as offering voluntary services. Is it not true that1496individuals have been coerced into using these bodies because1497of social, familial, and other community pressures?1498    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes, I was actually saying earlier that1499right now, in communities all across Texas, all across1500different places throughout the United States, from birth to1501death, they now have full operational societies. That somebody1502could actually be born in America and never have to operate1503outside of and deal with any kind of non-Muslim.1504    Within these societies, they have their courts. If you1505notice, most of the Imams that are the heads that are coming1506from outside the country are sharia judges. These sharia judges1507hand down these different--they use many different names. They1508will say that they're an Imam; they're a sharia, expert, a1509sharia jurist, et cetera. If you go and you look, these are the1510people who are acting as the judges within these communities.1511    There's an entire organization around this. If you look up1512the Assembly Muslim of Jurists in America, they're issuing1513fatwas. We have Fiqh council people who are also--again, that's1514a sharia judge. These are people who are putting out fatwas1515that you can kill apostates, blasphemers. This is happening1516inside America.1517    Ms. Hageman. That's clearly a violation of the Constitution1518and the rights of the individuals who are involved in those1519tribunals. Correct?1520    Ms. Mekelburg. Correct.1521    Ms. Hageman. All right. Another characteristic of American1522courts is generally the presence of robust oversight. We have1523court records. Decisions are easily accessible. Attorneys are1524present, and the transcripts of proceedings are properly1525recorded so that we know what happens in our court system.1526    Would you please explain how does this oversight compare to1527the operation of a sharia-based tribunal?1528    Ms. Mekelburg. This is handled inside the community. You'll1529never know of any of these things. That's the problem that I1530always have when I say we're failing children, and we're1531failing minorities and women--and things are happening in these1532communities that nobody ever knows of. There is no voice for1533the little girl who is being born in this community. She1534doesn't even know what her rights are in this country that she1535is being born into. Again, she is answering to her family. She1536is answering to her Imam, and she is answering to the person1537who is the expert in sharia within her community.1538    Ms. Hageman. At the same time, she is not able to fully1539exercise the Constitutional rights that have been bestowed on1540her?1541    Ms. Mekelburg. Absolutely not.1542    Ms. Hageman. In terms of--are there judgments or rulings1543catalogued? Are they consistent from one imam to another one or1544one sharia-based judiciary to another one?1545    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes. That's why, when you look up the1546Assembly, this one body, they are handing out the different1547legal--it's the legal arm inside the community. Again, are1548there different variations that different people follow? At1549times, but that's why they have--and, again, if you look up the1550Fiqh Council where Yasser Qadhi is the head of, or you look up1551a place like AMJA, where they're pushing out these different1552fatwas that all the mosques are following, it does act as the1553governing body--the legal body, I'm sorry.1554    Ms. Hageman. Just very quickly, in light of the disaster of1555the open-border Biden Administration, have you seen an increase1556at the attempt to enforce or impose sharia law in the United1557States?1558    Ms. Mekelburg. Absolutely, because, within these1559communities, they are also--they're absorbing the refugees1560coming in. That's what they're hoping for, to increase the1561numbers.1562    Ms. Hageman. Thank you. I appreciate your testimony. I1563yield back.1564    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentlelady from Wyoming. I now1565recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Cohen.1566    Mr. Cohen. Thank you. I am a gentleman from Memphis.1567Tennessee has divorced me from their State, and I accept the1568divorce. I represent Memphis. Redistricting, which we've had in1569this country--and I was recently redistricted--is a bigger1570threat to our country than anything we're talking about here.1571Sharia law is not good. I'm not for it, but that sharia law is1572where people have decided they want to be in the courts, and1573they agree to the jurisdiction. They're not going out on the1574streets and bringing people in.1575    In the legislatures in the South, because of Donald Trump's1576fear of oversight in the next Congress, fear that his extreme1577trampling of the Constitution, selling of pardons, Emoluments1578Clause violations, crypto schemes will be exposed, he has asked1579Governors in Texas--he mentioned Governor Abbott, Mr. Lopez--he1580asked Governor Abbott to find him five Congressional districts.1581Just like he asked Mr. Raffensperger in Georgia to find him158211,000 votes, and Mr. Raffensperger heroically said no. Mr.1583Abbott said, ``Yes, sir, I'll find them for you.'' That started1584off this round of mid-decade redistricting to try to create a1585Republican House that they couldn't get by the districts that1586had been made by the 2020 census in 2022 and oftentimes by1587Republican legislature. It was Republican legislature that1588created my district that they then struck down. Because Callais1589gave them the right to do what they wanted to do, and that's1590eliminate African-American majority-minority districts and turn1591out people, African-Americans and myself--I represent an1592African-American district.1593    After 20 years, I never lost a precinct in a primary where1594the African-American vote is 80 percent. That's something1595wonderful in America that shows that African-Americans have1596voted for 20 years based on your ability to represent and your1597votes and your policies, not on your race. Yet, the Republicans1598turned it around to say this discriminated against White people1599because we created a majority-minority district, which was1600created because we had slavery in this country for over 200-2501601years or so, where Blacks were property. Then, after1602Reconstruction, a little bit of goodness and fairness, we got1603into the Jim Crow South. How many bubbles are on this bar of1604soap? How many peas are in this jar?1605    They stopped Black people from having the right to vote,1606and they eliminated Black representation. Once they got it1607through, the Voting Rights Act, which was one of the most1608important legislative acts of the 20th century, in my opinion,1609where Martin Luther King and John Lewis fought hard in Selma,1610Alabama, and other places, and worked with President Johnson of1611the Democratic Congress and a Republican Congress--Everett1612Dirksen was a big part of that. It was a bipartisan bill in16131965 to do redress and to give African-Americans an opportunity1614to make up for some of the awful occurrences we have had in1615this country with Jim Crow and slavery.1616    People died. Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman died in1617Philadelphia, Mississippi, shot by racist law enforcement1618officials because they went to Mississippi to dare register1619people to vote in the Freedom Summer.1620    Medgar Evers, the head of the NAACP in Jackson, Mississippi1621who was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi. A lady named1622Viola Liuzzo went down to Selma to participate in the March,1623and she was shot and killed by racist guys in Alabama.1624    All those deaths and efforts and work put asunder by the1625Supreme Court in their Callais decision and put asunder by1626Republican State legislatures in Louisiana, in Alabama, and in1627Tennessee. They'll do it in other States to boot.1628    John Roberts said the Supreme Court is not political. Then,1629Alabama couldn't redistrict because it was an injunction for1630them changing their districts put in by the Supreme Court until16312030. Alabama asked them to lift that injunction; they did it1632in a second, and Alabama is going to have one less African-1633American seat.1634    Don't tell me, John Roberts, that the Supreme Court of the1635United States is not political. It is an arm of the Trump White1636House. They took this case up when they did because Virginia1637had given delegates to the Democrats, and they needed to act.1638The political arm of the White House is in the Supreme Court.1639Those are the types of hearings we ought to have. We ought to1640have hearings on the changes in our laws that don't allow1641people to be represented in the Congress and changing the1642rights and the opportunities for African-Americans to be equal1643citizens of this country, and it's being turned back.1644    Sharia law, yes, let's take it, not a good thing. Nothing1645like what's going on in the legislatures and from the White1646House. America is being destroyed from within: 16001647Pennsylvania Avenue.1648    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentleman from Memphis for his1649comments.1650    I would now recognize a Republican from one of the New1651England States, but we don't have any. I'll recognize the1652gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Onder.1653    Mr. Onder. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair, for1654holding this very important hearing.1655    Ms. Tyler, you represent the Baptist Joint Committee for1656Religious Liberty.1657    Ms. Tyler. That's correct.1658    Mr. Onder. Do you believe fundamentalist Islam values1659religious liberty?1660    Ms. Tyler. I am not here to talk about theological1661positions.1662    Mr. Onder. OK. How about the Muslim Brotherhood, do they1663value religious liberty?1664    Ms. Tyler. I am not--1665    Mr. Onder. I mean these are the groups you're here to1666support. The Democrats brought you here as a witness.1667    Ms. Tyler. I am here for religious freedom.1668    Mr. Onder. How about the Deobandis, a Southern Islamic sect1669affiliated with the Taliban? Do they value religious liberty?1670They're in Texas right now too.1671    Ms. Tyler. I am not familiar with that.1672    Mr. Onder. Yes OK. How about the Barelvis, South Asian1673Sunni Islam sect? They are in Texas too.1674    Mr. Lytle. I'm not familiar with that group.1675    Mr. Onder. How about the Salafis? Let me know if you know1676any of this? The Khameneis, the Turkish Islamists, all1677represented in various mosques and Islamic centers in Texas. Do1678any of them value religious liberty?1679    Mr. Lytle. I am not familiar with them.1680    Mr. Onder. OK. Do you believe religious liberty is valued1681and upheld in the Islamic Republic of Iran?1682    Mr. Lytle. That's a theocracy, and so, therefore, it is not1683the Constitutional democracy that we have. It is built on the1684foundation of religious freedom.1685    Mr. Onder. Yes. How about the Taliban in Afghanistan?1686    Ms. Tyler. Those are examples of Islamic states that don't1687support religious freedom--1688    Mr. Onder. Sudan? OK. Why exactly would we want to import1689mass numbers of people committed to an ideology--and I'm not1690talking about Islam at large--because many Muslims--most1691Muslims probably do value--would like to live in a modern,1692secular, or democratic republic. We're talking about radical1693Islamists. We're talking about these radical Islamists1694establishing beachheads in our country. Why do you defend them,1695Ms. Tyler?1696    Ms. Tyler. Well, what I'm concerned about, of course, we1697have criminal laws and antiterrorism laws that--1698    Mr. Onder. OK. That's good. Should we enforce our criminal1699laws?1700    Ms. Tyler. Absolutely.1701    Mr. Onder. We should not tolerate sexual enslavement in the1702United States of America. Right?1703    Ms. Tyler. I think our criminal laws protect against them.1704    Mr. Onder. Good. How about honor killings for a young woman1705who dishonors her family in some way? That should be against1706the law in the United States of America?1707    Ms. Tyler. As we discussed earlier, murder is illegal no1708matter the justification.1709    Mr. Onder. Stoning for adultery, right?1710    Ms. Tyler. Correct.1711    Mr. Onder. Child marriage? Pedophilia, right?1712    Ms. Tyler. Those are against criminal law in the United1713States--1714    Mr. Onder. Female circumcision is illegal under Federal law1715right now?1716    Ms. Tyler. That's right.1717    Mr. Onder. We have Imams in many of these centers we're1718talking about right now who advocate for those various things1719in our country. We should tolerate this in the name of1720religious freedom?1721    Ms. Tyler. We tolerate freedom of religion in this country.1722We can believe whatever we want. We can act on those beliefs1723without necessary government interference. In this case, there1724is a compelling government interest against murder--1725    Mr. Onder. Against the laws I listed.1726    Ms. Tyler. You are not allowed to act on those beliefs1727because it would be against criminal law.1728    Mr. Onder. Thank you. Ms. Mekelburg, I believe that1729tolerating these beachheads of radical Islam in our country is1730literally civilizational suicide. We've seen Islamist terrorist1731attacks in this country already. We're seeing in many cases a1732lack of assimilation--not by generally people who immigrate on1733their own work as a computer engineer or in agriculture, what1734have you, but rather when they join these very closed groups1735that are committed to imposing sharia law. Tolerating that just1736seems to be utter insanity and especially if we see what's1737going on in Europe right now, if we look at what's going on in1738Germany, London, and in France. Tell me where I'm wrong.1739    Ms. Mekelburg. As you said, the beachheads, that is what1740Erdogan says from Turkiye, that the mosque is the beachhead.1741When you hear terrorists speak about the mosque, they speak1742about that being their infrastructure where all things are1743launched out of. They are having these closed societies. The1744goal is--and that's why you'll see, with most mosque expansion1745projects happening in Texas, they are expanding, and they are1746making these enclaves where all things emanate from that1747mosque. If you see and you look in Germany, as you were just1748talking about, Erdogan had sent hundreds of imams to head up1749the mosque that were from the Turkish Government, that a lot of1750them were then found out to be spies. We're seeing in this1751country, whether it's Saudi Arabia, whether it's Iran, they're1752all sending their proxies here. Then, they're coming and1753they're having the closed societies, and they are the1754beachheads, as you said.1755    Mr. Onder. Thank you. I yield back, Mr. Chair.1756    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentleman from Missouri. I now1757recognize the gentlelady from Washington.1758    Ms. Jayapal. Thank you, Mr. Chair.1759    I have a lot of respect for the Chair of this Committee. We1760work together on a lot of issues. It is bizarre to me to listen1761to this hearing. Honestly now, we've suddenly made all mosques1762the beachhead of terrorism across the country. This is a very1763important religion around the world and certainly here in the1764United States. Islam is a very, very important religion.1765    I go to Mr. Cohen's comments about why we're holding this1766hearing again. This is a redo, by the way. We have done this1767before. We're doing it again at a time when we have so many1768pressing issues that we should be addressing in the1769Constitution Subcommittee. We have the issue of voting rights,1770the gutting of voting rights by the Supreme Court, the dilution1771of the Black vote in the United States, which should be at the1772top of our list to talk about. We have the unConstitutional war1773in Iran that has now cost at least $29 billion of taxpayer1774money that we have not had a single hearing on. There's lots of1775things that we could be talking about. See the problem is, if1776we were to talk about any of those things, you would actually1777have to acknowledge how incredibly unpopular Republican1778policies have been in driving up the price of gas in this1779country. In my home State, it's almost six bucks for a gallon1780of regular; almost seven bucks for gallon of diesel. You'd have1781to address the rising cost of fertilizer, of groceries. The1782fact that Republicans stripped healthcare away from millions of1783Americans. People cannot afford healthcare in the United States1784of America, the richest country in the world. We have 901785million Americans who are either uninsured, no insurance at1786all, or underinsured--meaning they have some form of insurance,1787but it's not enough to pay their medical bills. That is why we1788have $220 billion of medical debt in the United States of1789America--$220 billion.1790    We're not talking about any of the policies, the1791unConstitutionality of all the things that this administration1792has done that have really ripped apart the foundations of who1793we are as a country. Instead, we're going to have a1794conversation about this, sharia law. I've seen in my home State1795of Washington, but across the country, the rise in anti-Muslim1796bigotry that has been happening in the aftermath of October 7th1797attacks and then in the aftermath of17989/11. In my home State of Washington now, Muslim Americans1799reporting experiencing hate crimes, threats of violence,1800hateful rhetoric that increases those threats of violence,1801discriminatory policies in the workplace, unsafe interactions1802with law enforcement. This hearing is unfortunately just part1803of a much larger anti-Muslim, anti-Islam strategy that1804Republicans have been trying to drive.1805    Ms. Tyler, I want to start by correcting the record. Has1806there ever been a piece of legislation introduced in America to1807adopt sharia law?1808    Ms. Tyler. No.1809    Ms. Jayapal. Does sharia law require Muslims living in the1810United States to violate American law?1811    Ms. Tyler. No.1812    Ms. Jayapal. Are there any State or Federal courts that1813follow sharia law instead of American law?1814    Ms. Tyler. No.1815    Ms. Jayapal. Have you seen any poll in this country, to1816your knowledge, that puts sharia law at the top of the concerns1817of Americans today?1818    Ms. Tyler. No, I have not.1819    Ms. Jayapal. Me neither. Me neither. Nowhere does it show1820up as a top concern. Yet, the policies that are being proposed1821include the establishment of a sharia-free America caucus and1822the introduction of a bill that would deny immigration status1823to anyone who quote, ``adheres to sharia law.''1824    Now, these policies are based on a myth that sharia is1825infiltrating our American legal system and endangering the way1826of life as envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Could you please1827clarify for everyone watching this hearing what is sharia law,1828and is it any different than what Biblical law teaches1829Christians about how to observe their faith?1830    Ms. Tyler. ``Sharia'' is translated or understood to mean1831the ``path to water.'' It refers to the religious principles1832that guide Muslims in their beliefs and actions. It's a set of1833rules on how to pray and dress and fast and other dietary1834restrictions. In that way, it's very similar to other kinds of1835religious laws that Christians, Jews, or members of other faith1836communities follow to guide them in how they practice their1837religion.1838    Ms. Jayapal. In many religions, there are extreme and1839violent sects that don't represent the vast majority of1840observance of the faith. You have done some work documenting1841the rise of extreme White Christian nationalism and its1842influence in deadly shootings in Charleston, Pittsburgh, and1843San Diego. I don't see any of my colleagues on the other side1844creating a caucus to attack Christianity or introducing a bill1845that would ban Christians from entering the country. Instead,1846they want the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public1847school. We have the Trump Administration officials like1848Secretary Hegseth, openly declaring that, quote, ``America was1849founded as a Christian Nation and remains a Christian Nation in1850our DNA.'' What does that tell us about what's really going on?1851    Ms. Tyler. Well, I see all these actions that we're talking1852about today as singling out one religion for special scrutiny1853and to denigrate a lot of the stereotypes that have been1854repeated here today to take the actions of a few and1855extrapolate that that's what somehow all Muslims believe when1856we would never, as Christians, say that, for instance, like the1857killer at Mother Emanuel AME Church, who claimed that he was1858there because of his religious beliefs, we wouldn't say that1859this would extrapolate to all Christians.1860    It is a double standard and a very harmful one that causes1861violence and discrimination against our Muslim neighbors.1862    Ms. Jayapal. Undermines the principle of religious liberty.1863I thank you, Mr. Chair, for your indulgence. I yield back.1864    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentlelady from Washington. I will now1865recognize my friend and colleague from the great State of1866Texas, Mr. Gill.1867    Mr. Gill. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for holding a1868very important hearing. Thank you to the witnesses for taking1869the time to come here.1870    Mr. Hunter-Lopez, I would like to better understand your1871story. It's important, and thanks for being here and being1872boldly telling us about what happened. Can you tell us what are1873the requirements to create a student club at your school?1874    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. The requirements are to have 10 members,1875a teacher that's willing to sponsor, and a room to meet.1876    Mr. Gill. Did the Republican club that you formed meet1877those requirements?1878    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. We did on day one.1879    Mr. Gill. It did? Was your club allowed to be created?1880    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. No, we were actually notified that we1881were denied due to political nature, even though other1882ideological groups, including groups promoting gender-affirming1883ideology, were approved.1884    Mr. Gill. Why do you think the school has such a sort of1885obvious double standard?1886    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. I am not sure if it's the educational1887establishment. It could be any of those. It could be any of1888those, it could be the principals that have been in the system1889for a while, they just don't want conservative values. It's a1890trend we've seen with--how Charlie Kirk was on campuses, on1891high school campuses, that they think conservative values are a1892threat because they're true.1893    Mr. Gill. How has the school administration either1894encouraged or supported World Hijab Day?1895    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Our principal actually wore the hijab two1896years in a row that we know of. It could be more. She's posted,1897promoted it on social media, saying she, quote, ``LOVED IT.''1898They're just promoting these events like nothing, but our club1899on the other hand has to receive strict--first, we weren't1900approved in the first place. Then, once we were, we were the1901only club that couldn't have other privileges that other groups1902had. They took down our posters. There's just a lot of things1903in this double standard clearly to favor the Islamic group.1904    Mr. Gill. Is it true that your school's libraries offer1905Islamic literature, like the Quran, and other things?1906    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Yes, so McMillan Junior High and Wiley1907ISD offer a Quran but no Bible available.1908    Mr. Gill. No Bible. There's a Quran, but the Bible is not1909allowed.1910    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Correct.1911    Mr. Gill. Is that true in multiple libraries?1912    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. From what I know, confirmed it's McMillan1913Junior High is one that I know of. I can look at the other1914libraries and submit them to you if I find any other findings.1915    Mr. Gill. OK. Have you talked to the school about why they1916would allow a Quran but not a Bible?1917    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. The principals actually run away from me1918and hid. I can't have a discussion with my principals because I1919act like an adult, and they act like children.1920    Mr. Gill. Yes, well you very much are acting like an adult.1921They probably don't want to be on the record with that policy1922given how egregious it is. When clubs such as yours sponsored1923visitors come to the school and speak about club interests,1924whatever they are, are they subject to security screenings?1925    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. When our club has guest speakers,1926including a State Representative or a Congressman, we have to1927submit two weeks in advance paperwork; we have to submit a week1928in advance background check; we have to submit their staff if1929they're coming. All these lengthy processes, I often have to1930miss my lunch period and skip lunch, skip a meal to fill these1931out. On the other hand, the Islamic group got favorable1932treatment.1933    Mr. Gill. What were the security protocols that were in1934place for the Islamic group?1935    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. From what I know, none.1936    Mr. Gill. None.1937    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. From what I know.1938    Mr. Gill. Typically you have to go through a lengthy1939background process, but this Islamic group didn't have to?1940    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Correct. Obviously, they didn't1941background check the organization because it has multiple1942terror links. I guess they didn't check the sharia pamphlets1943that they gave us or the Qurans with the Shahada Card--they1944were perfectly fine with it because the principal was there1945that day just looking at it perfectly fine.1946    Mr. Gill. What's been the response from the school since1947you've been public and vocal about this standard.1948    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Like I said in my opening testimony, when1949my mom had requested the principal to email my teachers--1950because I had to miss school for the first day after that and1951had to go late the second day because of death threats, and1952things like that--my mom had asked the principal to email my1953teachers just to keep an extra eye on me. The principal told my1954mom ``you can.'' It's really--that speaks volumes to the1955approach of leadership that the school has and the school1956district has because I guess they just wanted to dismiss my1957safety in that moment.1958    Mr. Gill. You received death threats?1959    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Yes, sir.1960    Mr. Gill. What were some of the death threats? Could you1961talk about them?1962    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. I had people saying that they were going1963to be at my house waiting for me to get home, and they were1964going to shoot me. I had people telling me to kill myself. A1965lot of different things. I know nobody can proclaim anything1966over me because I wake up every morning with victory with1967Christ.1968    Mr. Gill. Amen. That's exactly right. What has the school's1969response been to these death threats?1970    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Like I said, that first day was very1971dismissive. I actually received a death threat last year, and I1972have emails, and I could submit them to the record of the1973principal saying, ``Oh, things are already taken care of.''1974Very I would say downgrading it or just minimizing specific1975situations. I could submit those emails to the record.1976    Mr. Gill. I just want to be clear, you had a threat against1977your life, somebody saying that they were going to come to your1978house and murder you--1979    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Correct.1980    Mr. Gill. Your school's response was dismissive.1981    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Correct.1982    Mr. Gill. Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's the end of my time.1983I appreciate it.1984    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Thank you.1985    Mr. Roy. I thank my friend, the gentleman from Texas. I1986will now recognize the gentlelady from California.1987    Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you, Mr. Chair.1988    Of all the things to hold a hearing on today, why this, a1989sharia-free America? Oh, that's right. It is election season,1990which means Republicans turn up the fear-mongering to level 10,1991and easy targets are members of our Muslim community. This1992hearing allows my Republican colleagues to legitimize their1993religious bigotry. Today, I am not participating in this1994charade.1995    I have hosted numerous townhalls. I am talking to my1996constituents every single day, and no one has brought up sharia1997law. It is not a pressing issue, but it is a manufactured1998crisis. Because you know what they were talking about? They're1999talking about the crisis of this Republican Congress. The2000Constitution says that we have oversight jurisdiction over the2001administration, that we have the authority to authorize war,2002and that we have the power of the purse. None of that is2003happening right now.2004    The Trump Administration has launched a war of choice with2005Iran, and Americans are paying the price. The President said2006that he's not thinking about the pocketbooks of Americans. He2007said, ``No, not at all.'' Millions of people are worried about2008how they're going to eat this week.2009    More than one 100 million Americans carry medical or credit2010card debt. Job openings have fallen to their lowest level since20112020. All of this has happened under Republicans' watch.2012    Working families want to know how they are going to survive2013this economy and what Congress is doing to help. The2014Republicans' response is to hold this obtuse hearing.2015    There are real oversight issues that this Committee could2016be addressing right now that deal with the Constitution--like2017the $1 billion ballroom that Trump wants taxpayers to pay--oh,2018and, by the way, he wants to get a cut from the contractor. The2019Epstein files, continuing to cover them up, and have no2020accountability for survivors. The treatment of pregnant women2021in Federal custody. A tax on our voting rights and civil2022liberties. Rising hate crimes and extremist violence. Criminal2023justice reform. Instead, Republicans are peddling anti-Muslim2024conspiracy theories and complaining about world religion2025studies.2026    Let's get into it. The Constitution does not require2027Americans to abandon their religion to participate in society.2028It protects the free exercise of religion. Government does not2029get to decide which faiths are acceptable and which communities2030deserve suspicion.2031    For many Muslims, sharia simply refers to personal2032religious guidance about prayer, fasting, charity, or family2033life, not some attempt to replace the United States2034Constitution, and suggesting otherwise unfairly paints millions2035of Americans with a broad and dangerous brush.2036    The religions that I know about are Christianity,2037Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. All are premised on2038peace. Real talk, any religion can get radicalized.2039Christianity is being radicalized and weaponized right now. We2040can talk about that.2041    The Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh. Dylann2042Roof massacring parishioners in South Carolina. The murder of2043Minnesota Rep. Hortman and her husband. The massacre of Sikh2044temple members in Wisconsin. The radically charged plot to2045attack the Baltimore power grid. All violent crimes committed2046by radicalized White Evangelical extremists.2047    You talk about American values. Ms. Mekelburg referenced2048that women are less than half a man that--well we're denying2049women healthcare. You talked about failing our children. Well,2050we're doing that here, cutting SNAP benefits, cutting access to2051education. You talked about marrying pedophiles. Well, we're2052covering up the Epstein files.2053    Islam is not doing that. The American Government is doing2054that.2055    You know what? I'm not safe on the streets either. It has2056nothing to do with being Islam, which I'm not. It's about being2057Black. You talk about Saudi Arabia. Well, let's talk about2058Jared Kushner getting $2 billion from Saudi Arabia. Nobody2059seems to be concerned about that.2060    If we're going to get into it, let's get into it. The2061American people deserve committees that hold hearings grounded2062in facts and not bigotry. There has been zero evidence that2063Muslim Americans are attempting to impose religious law on the2064United States.2065    Last I checked, people are just trying to figure out if2066they have enough money for gas and to buy a dozen eggs. With2067that, I have some UCs that I want to enter into the record, Mr.2068Chair.2069    Mr. Roy. The gentlelady is recognized.2070    Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you, sir. First, the Scientific2071Study of Religion, ``Christian Nationalism and Violence Against2072Religious Minorities in the United States: A Quantitative2073Analysis''--2074    Second, PRRI, from May 2026, ``No Quarter? American2075Evangelicals and Political Violence.''2076    Third, the Center for American Progress, 2020, ``How White2077Supremacy Returned to Mainstream Politics.''2078    Fourth, from The Conversation, August 2025, ``Active Clubs2079are White Supremacy's New Dangerous Frontier.''2080    Mr. Roy. Without objection.2081    Ms. Kamlager-Dove. Thank you. With that, I yield back.2082    Mr. Roy. I also have a unanimous consent request. I would2083like to insert a statement for the record from our colleague2084Keith Self, my colleague from Texas, titled, ``Sharia for2085America: Why Political Islamist & Sharia Laws are Incompatible2086with the United States Constitution, Part Two.''2087    Without objection.2088    Mr. Roy. The gentlelady from Pennsylvania.2089    Ms. Scanlon. Yes, I have a unanimous consent request. I ask2090unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement from2091Representatives Carson, Omar, Talib, and Simon--all of whom are2092Muslim American Members of Congress.2093    I also have a unanimous consent request to enter into the2094record statements from the following organizations voicing2095strong opposition to today's hearing: A coalition letter signed2096by 35 organizations that work to protect and advance religious2097freedom and civil rights, CAIR, the U.S. Council of Muslim2098Organizations, and the Interfaith Alliance.2099    Mr. Roy. Without objection.2100    Ms. Scanlon. I yield back.2101    Mr. Roy. I'll now recognize my other colleague from Texas--2102wait hold on.2103    Mr. Raskin. Just one more UC.2104    Mr. Roy. Yes, sure.2105    Mr. Raskin. Forgive me. This is by Jessica Waters. It was2106in MS Now, and it's about the violent threats that she received2107after testifying before this Committee in the questioning of2108Mr. Gill, May 8, 2026.2109    Mr. Roy. Without objection. I will now recognize the other2110gentleman from Texas, my good friend, Mr. Hunt.2111    Mr. Hunt. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Lopez, you're a 16-2112year-old sophomore at Wiley High School. Did you ever imagine2113that your high school in Texas, of all places, our great State2114of Texas, of course, would become a breeding ground for pro-2115sharia material and Islamic conversation?2116    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. I would never imagine that we would have2117a hearing questioning the legitimacy of terror-linked2118organizations going to schools. I would never believe we would2119have this. That's the America we live in, and it's a sad2120situation.2121    Mr. Hunt. Do you think there's an incongruency in the way2122you are treated as a Christian in your school and the2123juxtaposition of that in the way that your school is welcoming2124sharia law and Islamic doctrine.2125    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Yes, there's a clear double standard.2126    Mr. Hunt. It's a shame that we are here today. I'm sorry2127that we have failed you, but this is why we have this caucus2128because we're going to make sure that we get this right and2129everybody is treated fairly regardless of your race, religion,2130or creed.2131    To some people in this room, what I am about to say may2132sound a bit controversial, but it's not controversial because2133it's true. America is a Christian Nation. We're founded on2134Christian values. Our Founders believe that our rights did not2135come from government, but they came from God. Those ideals2136shaped our institutions, our culture, our laws, and the very2137moral foundation and fabric of what I know as the greatest2138country in the world.2139    Now, America is also a country that welcomes people from2140all backgrounds of every culture and faith. That's actually2141what is a part of our greatness. As somebody like me, that2142fought in combat to ensure that anyone can come to this Nation2143and believe what they want to believe, and believe in the First2144and Second Amendment rights, I welcome that more than you can2145ever believe because I laid my life down on the line to ensure2146that this would happen. Let's be clear about something:2147Assimilation to American values and ideas matter.2148    When we begin importing belief systems and cultural values2149that are fundamentally incompatible with the principles that2150built this Nation, we should not be surprised when the social2151fabric begins to fray. Let me be clear: This is not hateful.2152This is not racist. This is not xenophobic. I'm not racist.2153I've been Black for like my whole life for like 44 years.2154    I'll say that sharia law has no place to usurp our2155Constitution in these United States of America and especially2156in our schools and especially in our public institutions.2157America's legal system is rooted in the Constitution and equal2158justice under the law, not religious extremism or parallel2159legal systems.2160    We have learned from many of our colleagues on the Left2161that this tends to be how they tack in this general direction.2162The Ten Commandments are not allowed: Bad; Islamic pamphlets:2163Good; Ten Commandments: Bad; Free Qurans in schools: Good; Ten2164Commandments: Bad; and Understanding sharia law brochures:2165Good. This is the hypocrisy that we Christian Americans are2166quite sick of.2167    The same people who mock or marginalize America's founding2168values suddenly become deeply tolerant when the ideology in2169question is directed against Western traditions and2170institutions.2171    Meanwhile, sharia law is normalized and distributed to2172children in school, while expressions of traditional faith are2173treated like a threat.2174    Here's how things should work: Math? yes; free qurans? no;2175history? yes; Sharia brochures? no; science? yes; and Shahada2176cards? no. This is a very simple idea that should be understood2177by all Americans.2178    One of my best friends is a Muslim-American, and he is a2179Fightin' Texas Aggie, but he actually sees himself as an2180American first and has fully embraced our culture and what it2181means to be an American. That's good. That's what we want.2182That's why we call this place a melting pot.2183    I am seeing a lot of talk from my colleagues on the Left,2184too, as we shift toward this reinvigorated talk about Jim Crow2185and the past of this country. As someone who was a direct2186descendant of a slave, as someone whose great-great grandfather2187was born on a plantation, I can assure you slavery is over. Jim2188Crow is dead.2189    When I go anywhere, I don't see any ``White Only'' signs. I2190don't. I promise you. I am a Black man that represents a White2191majority district in Texas. The great-great grandson of a man2192born on a plantation stands before you today as a proud2193Conservative Republican from Texas, as a believer and follower2194in Christ, and as a believer in what this country can be if we2195allow equality for not just Muslim-Americans, not just2196Buddhist-Americans, but also Christian-Americans like yourself.2197God bless you, young man. You give me a lot of hope for the2198future of this country. Thank you for having the courage.2199    I yield back the remainder of my time.2200    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Hunt. I now2201recognize the Ranking Member, Ms. Scanlon.2202    Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. I would like to return to perhaps2203the purpose of the hearing, which is to establish facts rather2204than fiction. With that, I'd like to have unanimous consent to2205introduce a CBS article from February 17, 2026, ``Wiley ISD,2206School District Investigates How the Why Islam Group Set Up on2207Campus Without Approval.''2208    Mr. Roy. Without objection.2209    Ms. Scanlon. I mean, as that story and others show, that2210the school district did in fact investigate why an outside2211group came in and set up. In fact, staff members were2212disciplined for not following school procedures. Let's just2213pull back a little bit here and try to reground this hearing in2214some facts. Because it's been pretty well-established by now.2215There is no credible evidence that anyone in Texas or in the2216U.S. generally is trying to impose sharia law on Americans.2217It's really--this whole hearing is so offensive.2218    I have a lot of Muslim constituents who are wonderful2219constituents and participate fully in our community. I'm very2220proud that they're my constituents. To hear folks being2221vilified in this way, trying to have this anti-Muslim rhetoric,2222trying to tar every member of a faith with the worst actions of2223a few is pretty outrageous and especially when some of those2224actions are complete fiction.2225    Look, it is a real change for the Republican Party in this2226country. Ms. Tyler, in the wake of 9/11, we saw a spike in2227violence against American Muslims. Then, President George W.2228Bush used the power of his office to defend Islam and American2229values. He said, and I quote, ``The face of terror is not the2230true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam2231is peace.'' He reminded us that America counts millions of2232Muslims among our citizens, and they make incredibly valuable2233contributions to our community, to our country, and they need2234to be treated with respect.2235    Our Republican colleagues seem to have forgotten this2236example and are using the House of Representatives to platform2237religious bigotry so they can fear-monger in an election year2238when gas prices are spiking due to an illegal war sparked by an2239unpopular President from their party.2240    When the consequences of this demagoguery for American2241Muslims and all Americans are very real, you have to look no2242further than the Islamic Society of Orange County, which last2243month experienced a spike in threats after Ms. Mekelburg2244published some tweets, without foundation, that they were2245trying to start a sharia compound there. It was complete2246fiction, but it caused a spike in threats.2247    Ms. Tyler, can you explain how religious fear-mongering2248endangers American Muslims in our communities and undermines2249the religious liberty of all Americans of all faiths?2250    Ms. Tyler. Yes, these attempts to paint with a broad brush,2251to bring all members of a faith, again to mark them with the2252actions of the dangerous and few makes everyone less safe and2253makes everyone less free.2254    I talked in my testimony about the real-world2255discrimination that Muslim Americans face because of their2256faith. Also, when we think about the hate crimes that you've2257noted, political violence of all kinds is an urgent problem in2258this country.2259    As I hear about the threats that have been made to some of2260my fellow witnesses today, that should disturb us all. The more2261that we feed into misinformation, stereotyping, that makes all2262of us less safe and less free as a society.2263    Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. I appreciate that. We've got plenty2264of examples. I think our colleague referred to some examples of2265Christian extremists who had gone out and committed violence.2266We have got examples of a Tennessee Baptist minister who was an2267advocate for corporal punishment and even starvation of2268children. Three kids died because of what he was preaching. We2269don't condemn all Christianity as a result.2270    As you pointed out previously, we have criminal justice and2271other American laws that deal with criminal behavior. Can you2272comment further on that?2273    Ms. Tyler. Yes, our criminal system takes care of the2274threats to the extent that there are real threats that have2275been put in the midst of everything else we've talked about2276here today. Criminal law takes care of that. The First2277Amendment to the U.S. Constitution assures that no religious2278law can supersede those laws. That is protection enough. That's2279why these scare tactics are really just that. It's not a real2280problem in this country.2281    Ms. Scanlon. Well, that's where, certainly, I'm not one who2282goes about citing George W. Bush often, but the impact of words2283and leadership matters when people demonize other folks.2284    Mr. Chair, I would just like to have unanimous consent to2285introduce an LA Times article, from April 17, 2026, ``Islamic2286Society of Orange County Under Heightened Security After Online2287Threats.''2288    Mr. Roy. Without objection.2289    Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. I yield back2290    Mr. Roy. I will now recognize--I thank the gentlelady for2291her questions. I will now recognize the gentleman from2292Wisconsin for five minutes.2293    Mr. Grothman. Well, thank you. I'd like to thank you for2294having this hearing at a time that happens when my own few2295hours a week that I have free, I am reading Elise Stefanik's2296book on anti-Semitism in the American university. It's2297interesting to look at the number of people and analyzing what2298happened on October 7th in this country, seemed to be on the2299side of the people who were raping the little children and2300chopping off heads and stuff. It's shocking there are so many2301people like that in the United States. I can certainly2302understand why a lot of Americans are very concerned that2303people like that were brought into the country. Again, not an2304isolated couple of people, but it seems to me whole groups of2305people took the October 7th attacks as a kind of almost as a2306call to arms. They seem to be in favor of this sort of thing,2307which is kind of shocking. I wish more Americans would read2308those books, so they knew how people surrounding us think.2309    We'll start with Ms. Mek,--I guess we call you that, huh,2310Ms. Mek. That's what they have here. For Members of this2311Committee who are not familiar with Epic City Projects, can you2312walk us through what the development is, and behind it what the2313organizers have said publicly about--2314    Ms. Mekelburg. If you don't mind, could I actually just2315respond to something that you just brought up about the October23167th? What I find interesting is what I heard her just say about2317George Bush. George Bush, after 9/11, stood with Nihad Awad,2318who is the head of CAIR.2319    After October 7th, Nihad Awad celebrated it. Nihad Awad2320actually was celebrating, quote, ``breaking the siege.'' When2321I'm hearing somebody refer to George Bush as if he is an2322Islamic expert--he is not. When I'm hearing you're talking2323October 7th, we have people in the room from CAIR right now. We2324have people who are from CAIR who have somehow managed to make2325themselves the victims of October 7th. It's still we haven't2326been able to have these conversations about how the largest2327Islamic organizations in this country were not denouncing what2328happened on October 7th. They were actually not only2329celebrating it, but they're still marching in the streets in2330support of what happened.2331    Mr. Grothman. It's shocking that these people would be left2332in this country.2333    Ms. Mekelburg. Shocking. Bot only that, but they mock what2334has happened. All the things that you're talking about--2335    Mr. Grothman. I'll give you a question.2336    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes.2337    Mr. Grothman. We've got horrible nuts out there, and that's2338established. Have a lot of the--are there any mainstream Muslim2339groups who are attacking or boldly trying to separate2340themselves from these groups that seem to be in favor of2341October 7th?2342    Ms. Mekelburg. No, and--2343    Mr. Grothman. None?2344    Ms. Mekelburg. I haven't seen one group that has come2345forward and has been advocating and defending. I've heard a lot2346of ``victim'' talk. I have heard how they have been the2347victims. I have heard how they have been dealing with hate and2348fake crimes.2349    Mr. Grothman. Well, wait a minute, that's like, that almost2350can't be true. How about the other three of you? Has anybody2351heard of any significant Muslim groups trying to disassociate2352themselves or condemn those Muslim groups who are in favor of2353the October 7th attacks?2354    Mr. Blair. Not that I'm aware of, sir.2355    Mr. Grothman. I can't believe that. None of them?2356    Ms. Tyler. I have not done that research, but I can tell2357you that Muslim Americans spend a lot of time disclaiming2358violence because of being lumped in unfairly with again the2359violent actions of the extremists in their group.2360    Ms. Mekelburg. This is the game we play. We're talking here2361about--you're talking individuals, and I'm talking about an2362ideology. We're going back and forth, and we want to keep2363conflating the two. Islam is very clear on how they feel about2364the unbeliever. There's over 109 verses in the Quran that say2365I, the unbeliever, they rage violence toward me. You keep2366trying to conflate it, and I'm speaking solely on Islam.2367    As far as the crimes and the hate crimes you keep talking2368about, I don't ever see the proof of this. I hear a lot of2369accusations. When I go back and I try to find the records, I2370don't see anything that has registered those.2371    Mr. Grothman. Just one more comment, Ms. Mek. In my2372district, we have an ethnic group, the Hmong. The Hmong have2373festivals; they try so hard to be loved by the broader American2374community. They not only don't dislike police; they hire their2375own police if they're having a festival because they're so2376concerned about what America thinks of that group. I'm just2377saying; you don't see that same thing in the Muslim--I met with2378my Muslims in my area, but it's kind of shocking to me that2379nobody on the stage here can give us some examples of maybe2380donating money to the victims in Israel or whatever, doing2381something to separate themselves from this--2382    Mr. Roy. The gentleman's time has expired. I appreciate the2383gentleman from Wisconsin. I appreciate his questions. I will2384now recognize myself for five minutes of questions.2385    Mr. Blair, you testified that you spent a lot of time at2386the border, working with Border Patrol, former service in the2387United States Army. You testified that a significant number of2388people came into the United States from places from all over2389the world, including places of the majority Muslim countries.2390Correct?2391    Mr. Blair. Yes, sir.2392    Mr. Roy. Is it correct, roughly, that we've got roughly239350--one-, two-, three-million foreign-born people in the United2394States representing about 16 percent of the population?2395    Mr. Blair. Yes, sir, that's correct.2396    Mr. Roy. Have we seen an enormous uptick of individuals2397from majority Muslim countries since 9/11?2398    Mr. Blair. Yes, sir, we have.2399    Mr. Roy. Upwards of about five million people?2400    Mr. Blair. Yes, sir, we have.2401    Mr. Roy. Is that having a significant, cultural impact in2402the United States?2403    Mr. Blair. Yes, sir, it does.2404    Mr. Roy. Is that worthy of exploration and understanding2405that impact on our history, heritage, and who we are as a2406people?2407    Mr. Blair. One hundred percent.2408    Mr. Roy. Mr. Hunter-Lopez, people have been questioning2409about why we're here. You've testified here on the record that2410you've had very personal firsthand experience of disparate2411treatment based on your values as a Christian citizen of the2412United States and those promoting Islam in your school.2413Correct?2414    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Correct.2415    Mr. Roy. You've seen firsthand how there's a promotion in a2416small Texas town, now an increasingly suburban Texas town, the2417Dallas Ford Metroplex, in promoting an Islamic culture over a2418Christian culture in your school. That's roughly your2419testimony. Is that correct?2420    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. Correct. Every day I have more teachers2421and students coming up to me saying that they're realizing2422what's going on because, at first, people don't want to speak2423up because they'll be labeled Islamophobe or xenophobe or2424anything.2425    Mr. Roy. That's right.2426    Mr. Hunter-Lopez. The people are starting to wake up to2427what's going on.2428    Mr. Roy. Thank you. Ms. Tyler, are you familiar with the2429significant amount of rape gangs in the United Kingdom?2430    Ms. Tyler. Can you repeat the question?2431    Mr. Roy. Are you familiar with the significant amount of2432rape gangs in the United kingdom?2433    Ms. Tyler. I am not familiar with that.2434    Mr. Roy. OK. It's been pretty much all over the news. Very2435large numbers of people being raped in the United Kingdom by2436foreign nationals in the United Kingdom with significant2437allegations of it being heavily by Pakistanis and other2438individuals that have been immigrated into the United Kingdom.2439Are you familiar with that at all?2440    Ms. Tyler. I am not familiar with that.2441    Mr. Roy. Ms. Mekelburg, are you familiar with that?2442    Ms. Mekelburg. Very familiar, yes.2443    Mr. Roy. Right. Are you also familiar with the arbitration2444agreements that were adopted in the United Kingdom that have2445allowed significantly to have societies and cultures that are2446separated from the civil laws of the United Kingdom?2447    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes, I am. Yes.2448    Mr. Roy. That is a last 20-years kind of phenomena, right,2449where these arbitration agreements are allowing individuals in2450a separate community adhering to sharia law to be separated2451from at least 85 different tribunals in the United Kingdom to2452be able to carry out sharia alongside and separate from or even2453over civil law in the United Kingdom?2454    Ms. Mekelburg. Correct.2455    Mr. Roy. Are we seeing similar things occurring in the2456United States?2457    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes, we are.2458    Mr. Roy. Are we seeing it in the Dallas-Fort Worth2459Metroplex, for example?2460    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes.2461    Mr. Roy. Did Governor Abbott have to take action to deal2462with some of these separate tribunals to stop their existence?2463    Ms. Mekelburg. Correct.2464    Mr. Roy. Ms. Mek, if you could extrapolate on what is one2465of the most important things we need to address here, which is2466what you've mentioned, is Islam as political ideology, do you2467believe that Islam is compatible to Western civilization?2468    Ms. Mekelburg. It is not.2469    Mr. Roy. I agree with you. Do you believe that Islam in2470carrying out its mission is waging jihad against the West?2471    Ms. Mekelburg. Absolutely.2472    Mr. Roy. Is that a part of the Muslim Brotherhood2473memorandum from 1991?2474    Ms. Mekelburg. The project, both memorandums.2475    Mr. Roy. It is a part of that memorandum and other2476memoranda, correct?2477    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes. Correct.2478    Mr. Roy. Are there organizations, not just CAIR--other2479organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood to advance2480jihad against Western civilization, including specifically2481targeting Texas and the United States?2482    Ms. Mekelburg. Yes.2483    Mr. Roy. Is that documented?2484    Ms. Mekelburg. One hundred percent.2485    Mr. Roy. Are there imams that are active in Texas and2486throughout the United States that are similarly championing2487such jihad against the West to carry out the tenets of Islam?2488    Ms. Mekelburg. We have them in their own words, yes.2489    Mr. Roy. You've put those online. They are out for display.2490You've seen words from imams in the United States saying2491precisely this language?2492    Ms. Mekelburg. All across the United States but very2493heavily in Texas.2494    Mr. Roy. I'm going to give you the last minute here to2495close about your concerns about why this matters. I'm trying to2496put a bow around all this, that we've had a massive2497immigration, a massive cultural shift, direct impact on2498schools, for example, in the State of Texas, and a very clear2499mission tied to memoranda and individuals that have been2500frankly associated with the Holy Land Foundation prosecutions,2501other terrorist organizations, CAIR, known unindicted2502coconspirators, and now we see what's happening around the2503country. Last 30 seconds for you to put a bow around this.2504    Ms. Mekelburg. What concerns me is we've imported an2505ideology that we have absolutely no education about. We have2506seen all across the country, I'm seeing politicians here today2507that are working with them. I'm seeing people who I don't know2508whether you know or not, but they're infiltrating our society.2509They have come here to take over the society. They've written2510it down in the project in a 12-point plan. You can read it for2511yourself. It's written down in the memorandum.2512    They've come to make this country, like they've made2513countries all across the world, Islamic. If we do not take2514action--we've already seen what's happened in Europe--we are2515going to be worse off than the U.K., because we have the2516thought leaders in this country, and they are waging jihad on2517our society.2518    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentlelady. The Ranking Member--2519    Ms. Scanlon. I request that Ms. Tyler get her extra minute2520now if there's anything she'd like to respond to.2521    Mr. Roy. The Ranking Member has asked for an additional2522minute. Out of courtesy, I will do so. I will point out that2523I've given significant extra time to go over. I did so for the2524gentlelady from Washington. I did so for the gentlelady from2525California and others to have extra time. I'm trying to make2526sure that I'll do that. Out of request from the gentlelady from2527Pennsylvania, the Ranking Member, I'll give Ms. Tyler a minute.2528    Ms. Tyler. Thank you. One thing that's disturbed me today2529is that we are talking about political Islam. Islam is a2530religion. It's practiced by two billion people around the world2531and approximately one percent of people in the United States,2532about four million people in the United States. The numbers are2533a little hard to pinpoint. There's nothing inherently political2534about Islam. Islam, like all other religions, can be used as an2535instrument of the State to gain and hold onto political power.2536    Fortunately, as we are all celebrating in this 250th year2537of American independence, we live in a country that's built on2538the foundation of religious freedom, that protects everyone's2539right to believe or not to believe, to adhere to any religion,2540and that the government stays out of the way of religion. The2541government's role is not to dictate, and there is no2542establishment of religion in this country.2543    Ms. Scanlon. Thank you.2544    Mr. Roy. I thank the gentlelady from Pennsylvania. I was2545happy to give time.2546    I'm going to close by pointing out that the explanatory2547memorandum explicitly states in black letter text, quote, ``A2548kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western2549civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house.''2550    With that, this concludes today's hearing. We thank the2551witnesses for appearing before the Subcommittee today.2552    Without objection, all Members will have five legislative2553days to submit additional written questions for the witnesses2554or additional materials for the record.2555    Without objection, this hearing is adjourned.2556    [Whereupon, at 12:12 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]25572558    All materials submitted for the record by Members of the2559Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government can2560be found at: https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent2561.aspx?EventID=119267.25622563                             [all]