Texas Governor Greg Abbott put state law enforcement on the hunt for entities allegedly operating Sharia law courts inside the Lone Star State. Abbott said officials were aware of at least two such entities in the Dallas area and were looking for others in neighboring Collin County. He also announced that the Texas Department of Public Safety would search statewide for groups attempting to operate outside the established American court system.
The remarks came during a November 19th, 2025, Fox News appearance with Sean Hannity, as Abbott discussed his demand for investigations into organizations accused of presenting themselves as courts and issuing rulings under Islamic law. The governor had sent a letter that day to district attorneys and sheriffs in Dallas and Collin counties, along with Attorney General Ken Paxton and DPS Director Freeman Martin. His letter distinguished protected religious decision-making from groups allegedly claiming powers reserved for government courts.
“Oh, it is real. We know of at least two that exist in the Dallas area,” Abbott told Sean Hannity during the appearance. “We’re looking broader in Dallas County as well as Collin County, which is right next to Dallas, and that’s why I sent the letter to officials both in Dallas and Collin counties to urge them to take action to root out any Sharia courts.”
Abbott’s office said the letter alerted North Texas officials to possible criminal violations by Sharia tribunals that may be masquerading as legal courts. Abbott wrote that certain entities appeared to be staffed by supposed “judges” issuing orders that claimed to bind people to Islamic codes while displacing state and federal law. He directed the recipients to investigate whether those activities violated Texas criminal statutes.
The governor’s letter specifically identified an organization called the Islamic Tribunal in the Dallas area. Citing the organization’s published materials, Abbott said the group claimed jurisdiction over disputes among Muslims in the United States and described its decisions as final under Islamic jurisprudence. The letter also quoted charter language claiming that the organization was authorized to resolve disputes “under the approval of the Texas Judicial system.”
Abbott argued that those representations went beyond constitutionally protected religious activity. His letter acknowledged that churches, synagogues, and other religious organizations may decide matters involving doctrine, internal governance, clergy, and discipline. He said the legal line is crossed when a religious organization presents itself as a government court, claims to exercise the authority of a judge, or produces documents intended to have the same effect as an official court judgment.
Watch Abbott announce the statewide action here:
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“I am deploying the Texas Department of Public Safety to also root out any Sharia courts anywhere in the state of Texas,” Abbott said. His letter pointed investigators toward several provisions of the Texas Penal Code concerning the fraudulent presentation of governmental records, impersonating a public servant, and producing documents designed to resemble official court records.
Abbott also cited House Bill 45, which he signed in 2017. That law required the Texas Supreme Court to adopt rules limiting the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitration awards in certain family-law cases when enforcement would violate constitutional rights or public policy. In his letter, Abbott said the measure was intended to protect vulnerable Texans, including women and children, from being compelled to surrender rights guaranteed by American law.
“To be clear, the Texas Constitution does not allow Sharia courts or Sharia law,” Abbott told Hannity. “Texas statutes have banned Sharia law, and we are going to pursue this until we purge any attempt to impose Sharia law in Texas.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.