The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and CAIR Action Texas, a leading Muslim political organization, today responded to the Texas State Board of Education’s approval of new high school standards that denigrate Islam and diminish how Black and Palestinian history are taught, by announcing they will spend the time before the curriculum’s 2030 implementation working to overturn it and protect teachers and students who refuse to teach it.

A majority of witnesses who testified​ before the board opposed the standards. A 15-year-old Muslim student told the board she felt “attacked, as if my religion doesn’t belong.” The board approved the standards anyway, despite a CAIR-led press conference earlier in the week warning them directly.

SEE: CAIR: Texas Students, Parents and Faith Leaders Call on SBOE to Remove Anti-Muslim Language from Social Studies Standards

In a joint statement, CAIR Texas and CAIR Action Texas said:

“The State Board of Education’s decision to single out and denigrate Islam, minimize the brutal realities of slavery and segregation, and entirely erase Palestinian history is an affront to our system of education and the First Amendment. No credible scholar of history validates the bigoted caricatures of Islam this curriculum teaches. Even the board’s own appointed experts warned it doesn’t hold up to historical scrutiny, yet the board voted against removing it. Texas students of every background deserve an education that tells the truth about their history and their neighbors’ history, not propaganda that teaches them to see each other as threats or erases them from the story altogether.

“The board has turned our classrooms into a place where prejudice is taught as fact and entire communities are written out of their own history. This is not only a Muslim issue, a Black issue, or a Palestinian issue — it is a Texas issue, because a board willing to do this to one community can do it to any community next. CAIR Texas and CAIR Action Texas will not stand by. We plan to work with parents, educators, and coalition partners across every community affected to reverse this decision, and we call on every Texan who believes in honest education and the First Amendment to join us.”

At least two board-appointed curriculum experts cautioned against the Islam standard. Andrea Hutchison, a Prosper ISD curriculum coordinator, said it does not “hold up to close historical scrutiny.”

The new biased curriculum would claim that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) engaged in “brutal military campaigns” and claim that Islam established the “normalization of slavery” and the “taking of female captives as harem slaves.”

The board had the opportunity to remove the word “brutal” from the standard and chose to keep it. A motion to strike it was defeated by a vote of 4-8. The other changes adopted were not neutral corrections. The board voted to replace “the Prophet Mohammed’s” with “Mohammed’s, the prophet of Islam,” after Board Member Hall argued that referring to Prophet Muhammad (peace be up on him) as “the Prophet” would be offensive to Christian and Jewish Texans. In other words, the board found time to weigh whether non-Muslim Texans might be offended by standard Islamic terminology, while voting down the one amendment that would have addressed how the standard offends and misstates history.

The board also inserted “and regulation” alongside “normalization” of slavery. This change does add a degree of historical accuracy, since Islamic law did impose specific legal limits on the practice, but it does not offset language that remains, on the whole, singularly negative and unlike the treatment given to any other faith and the issue of slavery. The core mischaracterization remains intact. In reality, traditional understandings of Islamic law banned almost all manifestations of historical slavery, never countenanced the racist form of slavery practiced in western nations, and guaranteed people who were enslaved the right to secure their freedom. The Muslim world ultimately banned slavery in all forms without ever engaging in a civil war over the issue.

This pattern of biased and ahistorical lesson curriculum extends beyond Islam. The board cut lessons on segregation and slave revolts, removed language that Africans were enslaved “because of the color of their skin,” dropped acknowledgment that the South seceded to preserve slavery, renamed the “Tulsa Race Massacre” the “Tulsa Race Riots,” and eliminated a standard on the Black Power movement.

Palestinian history is erased entirely. The standard on Israel’s 1948 founding was amended on the floor to correctly credit President Truman’s recognition rather than the United Nations, but it still describes Israel only as “the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people,” with no mention of Palestinians. No standard anywhere in the curriculum addresses Palestinian history, displacement, or perspective.

CAIR-Texas and CAIR Action Texas noted that a board willing to teach one religion through its worst moments, and erase entire communities from their own history, sets a precedent that can be turned against any group next. This shapes how a generation of Texans understands their neighbors — and what kind of state Texas becomes.

These standards aren’t implemented until after 2030, leaving time to push for change:

• Contact your SBOE member: https://sboe.texas.gov/state-board-of-education/sboe-board-members/sboe-members
• Testify at future SBOE meetings
• Reach out to your local school board, which retains some implementation discretion
• Stay engaged for the 2026 elections  and check muslims.vote  to see what’s on your ballot

CAIR Texas and CAIR Action Texas will continue working with parents, educators, and coalition partners, including monitoring implementation as adoption moves forward.

CAIR Action is a 501(c)(4) organization empowering the American Muslim community through civic engagement and advocacy. CAIR Texas is the Texas chapter of CAIR, a 501(c)(3); as such, it does not endorse or oppose candidates for office.

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CONTACT: CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager Sameeha Rizvi, srizvi@cair.com, 512-893-1371; CAIR-Austin Director, Shaimaa Zayan, szayan@cair.com, 512-785-7105; CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, mcarroll@cair.com, 832-549-1042; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

Muslim groups call on Justice Department to focus on real civil rights threats instead of investigating airport facilities open to all travelers

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its Texas chapter (CAIR-Texas) today sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon urging the Department of Justice to reject Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s request that federal authorities investigate washing stations and prayer facilities at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

The letter argues that the facilities are open to all travelers regardless of faith and that Governor Abbott’s comparison of the facilities to segregation-era “white-only bathrooms” is both offensive and fundamentally inaccurate. CAIR and CAIR-Texas further urged DOJ to focus federal civil rights resources on genuine threats to religious liberty, including anti-Muslim violence, attacks on houses of worship, and discriminatory actions targeting religious communities.

CLICK HERE: READ CAIR & CAIR-TX LETTER TO THE DOJ

Today’s letter follows a series of responses by CAIR-Texas to Governor Abbott’s attacks on airport prayer and ablution facilities. On August 18, CAIR-Texas commended Houston Mayor John Whitmire for rejecting Abbott’s claims and confirming that IAH’s ablution and prayer facilities are open to all travelers regardless of faith and funded by international-airline fees rather than taxpayer dollars. On August 21, CAIR-Texas condemned Abbott’s comparison of those facilities to segregation-era “white-only bathrooms” as “offensive,” “inaccurate,” and a “grotesque distortion” of American civil rights history, noting that the facilities are open to all travelers and exclude no one. Today’s letter asks the Department of Justice to reject Abbott’s referral outright and focus instead on genuine civil rights threats facing religious communities.

In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-Texas said:

“Governor Abbott’s referral is not a civil rights complaint. It is an attempt to transform ordinary Muslim religious practice into a law-enforcement issue. The prayer and ablution facilities at DFW and IAH are open to all travelers, exclude no one, and represent the type of reasonable religious accommodation that has long been protected by our constitutional tradition. This latest referral is part of a broader pattern in which Governor Abbott and his administration have repeatedly singled out Muslim communities, institutions, and religious practices for investigation, criticism, and adverse government action. The Department of Justice should reject this baseless request and focus instead on genuine civil rights threats, including anti-Muslim violence, attacks on houses of worship, discriminatory land-use decisions affecting mosques, and other unlawful efforts to deny Americans the free exercise of their faith.”

In their letter, CAIR and CAIR-Texas note that ritual washing before worship is an ancient Abrahamic practice observed by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and argue that accommodating such practices is consistent with America’s longstanding commitment to religious liberty and equal access to public facilities.

The organizations also state that Abbott’s referral is the latest in a broader pattern of actions targeting Muslim communities, institutions, and religious practices in Texas. The letter cites multiple state investigations involving Muslim community developments, scrutiny of Islamic mediation and arbitration services, challenges to Muslim cemetery projects, efforts targeting Muslim religious accommodations and community events, state action against private Muslim schools, attempts to exclude Islamic schools from benefits available to other faith-based schools, the establishment of a “Sharia Free Caucus” in the Texas House, and policies affecting public-school religious instruction and curriculum.

The letter further notes that while state resources have been directed toward investigating Muslim institutions and accommodations, Muslim communities continue to face genuine threats, including anti-Muslim violence, threats against houses of worship, vandalism, arson, and local government efforts to block mosque construction.

CAIR and CAIR-Texas urged the Department to decline Abbott’s request and reaffirm that the mission of the Justice Department is to protect religious liberty and civil rights, not investigate constitutionally protected religious practices.

The shared mission of CAIR and CAIR-Texas is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. 

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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CONTACT: CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, 469-200-0273, mcarroll@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

Muslim civil rights organization says reported suggestion that a K-9 be trained to bite Muslims is an unacceptable attack on religious freedom and equal treatment

The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-TX) today called on the Republican Party of Texas and the Young County Republican Party to apologize for a reported anti-Muslim question posed during the party’s interview of a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for Young County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1.

According to a report by KAUZ-TV, Joshua Gallardo was interviewed on August 18 by the Young County Republican Committee as a potential Republican nominee. During the interview, the conversation reportedly turned to Gallardo’s experience as a K-9 handler for the Young County Sheriff’s Office.

Young County Republican Party Chairman Lane Burgess acknowledged that a precinct chair asked whether Gallardo thought his dog could be trained to “bite” Muslims. Burgess described the comment as a mistake and declined to identify the committee member who made it. Gallardo subsequently withdrew from consideration for the Republican nomination and said he would instead run as a write-in candidate.

“Suggesting that a law-enforcement dog should be trained to attack people because they are Muslim is not a political disagreement or a harmless mistake—it is an appalling expression of anti-Muslim bigotry,” said CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager Sameeha Rizvi.“The Republican Party of Texas and the Young County Republican Party should unequivocally condemn this conduct, apologize to Muslim Texans, and make clear that religious identity has no place in determining who deserves equal protection under the law.”  

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CONTACT: CAIR-Austin Director, Shaimaa Zayan, szayan@cair.com, 512-785-7105; CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, mcarroll@cair.com, 832-549-1042; CAIR-Houston Director Imran Ghani, ighani@cair.com, 713-922-5270; CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager Sameeha Rizvi, srizvi@cair.com, 512-893-1371; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-TX) today condemned a post by Governor Greg Abbott’s press office comparing Islamic ablution, or wudu, facilities at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to segregation-era “White-only bathrooms.” 

The post, published by the Governor Abbott Press Office account, claimed the airports “finance, maintain, advertise, and operate Muslim-only spaces” and stated that “Airports can no more offer Muslim-only bathroom spaces than they can maintain White-only bathrooms.”

SEE: Governor Abbott Refers Discriminatory Airport Religious Facilities to DOJ

In a statement, CAIR-Texas said:

“Comparing a washing station that any travelers can use regardless of their faith to whites-only bathrooms is a grotesque distortion of one of the darkest chapters in American history. Segregation was designed to exclude. These facilities were designed to include. Nobody is turned away.

“These are not ‘Muslim-only’ spaces any more than a nursing room or an interfaith prayer room is ‘Christian-only’ or ‘mothers-only.’ They are accommodations, open to any traveler, that happen to be used mostly by the Muslim community. That is not discrimination. That is what accessible public infrastructure looks like.

“Governor Abbott has spent the better part of a year using the machinery of state government — the Attorney General’s office, state agencies, and now a direct referral to the federal government — against Texas Muslims’ everyday religious practice. A sink is not a civil rights violation. Weaponizing the Department of Justice against Muslim Texans for washing their feet before prayer is.

“Instead of wasting taxpayer resources on this latest anti-Muslim political stunt, Governor Abbott should focus on our state’s real problems under his leadership, from harmful data centers to school shootings to economic inequality to the erosion of religious freedom.”

Following Abbott’s earlier targeting of the foot-washing stations, DFW Airport abandoned plans to add additional  foot-washing stations after Abbott threatened to withhold state funding.

SEE: CAIR-Texas Condemns Manufactured DFW Airport Washing Station Controversy as Latest Anti-Muslim Political Stunt in Texas

In 2024, CAIR’s Houston chapter recognized the leadership team at Houston Airports for their forward-thinking initiative in constructing a wudu (ablution) room and prayer facilities at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), one of the first airports in the U.S. to offer such amenities.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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CONTACT: CAIR-Austin Director, Shaimaa Zayan, szayan@cair.com, 512-785-7105; CAIR-DFW Executive Director, Mustafaa Carroll, mcarroll@cair.com, 832-549-1042; CAIR-Houston Director, Imran Ghani, ighani@cair.com, 713-922-5270; CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager, Sameeha Rizvi, srizvi@cair.com, 512-893-1371; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

Mayor says IAH ablution and prayer facilities are open to all travelers and funded by international-airline fees

The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) today commended Houston Mayor John Whitmire for rejecting Governor Greg Abbott’s false claim that ablution and prayer facilities at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) unlawfully discriminate against non-Muslims.

Whitmire stated that IAH’s ablution room and adjoining prayer room are open to all travelers, employees, and stakeholders, regardless of faith. He also noted that the facilities were funded by fees charged to international airlines, not by city, state, or federal taxpayer funds.

[NOTE: Wudu is an Islamic ritual of physical and spiritual purification that involves washing hands, face, arms, and feet before prayer.]

In a statement, CAIR-Texas said:

“We commend Mayor Whitmire for debunking Governor Abbott’s latest anti-Muslim political stunt. The ablution room and adjoining prayer room at IAH are open to everyone. No one receives special treatment, and no one is excluded.

“At a major international airport serving travelers from around the world, such facilities meet a practical need and help ensure that travelers are not forced to use public restroom sinks for religious washing.

“Instead of wasting taxpayer resources trying to manufacture controversy over a lawful and inclusive airport amenity, Governor Abbott should focus on the real problems facing Texans.”

IAH has offered an ablution room and adjoining prayer facilities since 2024. The facilities were established to serve travelers using the airport’s international terminal, including passengers traveling on airlines serving Muslim-majority countries.

Governor Abbott recently called for reviews of funding connected to IAH and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate the facilities. DFW subsequently abandoned plans to add additional ablution stations.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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CONTACT: CAIR-Houston Director, Imran Ghani, ighani@cair.com, 713-922-5270; CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager, Sameeha Rizvi, srizvi@cair.com, 512-893-1371; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

Muslim civil rights organization says reported suggestion that a K-9 be trained to bite Muslims is an unacceptable attack on religious freedom and equal treatment

The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-TX) today called on the Republican Party of Texas and the Young County Republican Party to apologize for a reported anti-Muslim question posed during the party’s interview of a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for Young County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1.

According to a report by KAUZ-TV, Joshua Gallardo was interviewed on August 18 by the Young County Republican Committee as a potential Republican nominee. During the interview, the conversation reportedly turned to Gallardo’s experience as a K-9 handler for the Young County Sheriff’s Office.

Young County Republican Party Chairman Lane Burgess acknowledged that a precinct chair asked whether Gallardo thought his dog could be trained to “bite” Muslims. Burgess described the comment as a mistake and declined to identify the committee member who made it. Gallardo subsequently withdrew from consideration for the Republican nomination and said he would instead run as a write-in candidate.

“Suggesting that a law-enforcement dog should be trained to attack people because they are Muslim is not a political disagreement or a harmless mistake—it is an appalling expression of anti-Muslim bigotry,” said CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager Sameeha Rizvi.“The Republican Party of Texas and the Young County Republican Party should unequivocally condemn this conduct, apologize to Muslim Texans, and make clear that religious identity has no place in determining who deserves equal protection under the law.”  

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CONTACT: CAIR-Austin Director, Shaimaa Zayan, szayan@cair.com, 512-785-7105; CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, mcarroll@cair.com, 832-549-1042; CAIR-Houston Director Imran Ghani, ighani@cair.com, 713-922-5270; CAIR Texas Government Affairs and Legislative Manager Sameeha Rizvi, srizvi@cair.com, 512-893-1371; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com