1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to reject the anti-Muslim rhetoric and discriminatory policies that have become central to several Republican campaigns this election cycle. This coordinated effort to demonize Texas' Muslim community is not only morally wrong but also unconstitutional and harmful to our state. Texas is home to over 300,000 Muslims, more than all but four states. These are our neighbors, colleagues, and fellow Texans who contribute to our communities and economy. Yet candidates like Aaron Reitz and Chip Roy are running campaigns built on fearmongering, with Reitz pledging to "create a legal environment so inhospitable" to Muslims that they'll self-deport or go to jail. Roy formed the Sharia-Free America Caucus and told Steve Bannon about a supposed coordinated effort to "Islamify Texas." This rhetoric treats an entire religious community as a threat rather than as fellow Americans protected by the First Amendment. The policy consequences are already materializing. Governor Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a terrorist organization, despite CAIR working with the FBI to stop an attack on President Trump, as reported by The Houston Chronicle. Republicans are attempting to block the East Plano Islamic Center development by falsely claiming it would enforce Sharia law, even though developers state the community is open to all Texans regardless of religion. As Marium Uddin, legal director at the Muslim Legal Fund of America, wrote: "It forces impossible choices. Under this framework, Muslims are punished for ordinary civic participation. Organize? You may be designated extremist. Donate? Your charity may be weaponized decades later. Build a community? It may be labeled a 'compound.' This is not regulation. It is systematic exclusion." I ask you to publicly oppose this bigotry and defend the constitutional rights of all Texans to practice their faith freely. Religious freedom means nothing if it only protects some religions. Our state is better than this fearmongering.