U.S.: Texas – Page 5 – Eye on Islamism

American ISIS member Warren Clark says he wanted to see ‘what the group was about’ 'I’m from the United States, from Texas. They like to execute people, too. So I really don’t see any difference,' he said in an exclusive interview.

January 15, 2019 Richard Engel

(NBC) A Texan who says he offered to work as an English teacher for the Islamic State and was captured earlier this month in Syria by U.S.-backed forces said he witnessed executions and crucifixions during the more than three years he spent […]

These two women want to bring accountability to local mosques Abuse in the Muslim community is rarely discussed. But Alia Salem and Huma Yasin want to change that — starting with resources for victims.

January 11, 2019 Amina Khan

(D Magazine) In August of 2017, Alia Salem and Huma Yasin decided to launch something for Muslim parishioners to go for help. They’d seen enough. An imam in Irving had been accused of “sexually grooming” an 18-year-old congregant, beginning when she was […]

Kurdish forces: Two American ISIS fighters captured

January 6, 2019 Chad Garland

(Stars and Stripes) Kurdish-led forces battling Islamic State militants in Syria say they captured five foreign fighters, including an American who once sought to become an English teacher in the jihadi group’s Iraqi capital. The American, a Texan named Warren Christopher Clark, […]

A religious leader being sued for ‘grooming’ a follower is now under fire for polygamy BuzzFeed News has confirmed that the cleric was ousted from a second mosque for alleged bad behavior — but his current employer is sticking by him.

December 21, 2018 Hannah Allam

(BuzzFeed) A Muslim cleric who was ousted from at least two mosques amid claims of sexual misconduct with young women he’d mentored now works at a Texas mosque that’s standing by him despite a former employer’s warning and a civil lawsuit. The […]

Muslim board will remain all male after failed election bid

December 9, 2018 Lisa Gray

(Houston Chronicle) Sarah Alikhan lost her bid Sunday to become the first woman ever elected to the shura, or governing board, of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, one of the largest Muslim organizations in the U.S. Incumbent Faizan Atiq will retain […]

‘America has changed Islam’: A woman runs for the board of Houston’s largest Muslim organization

December 8, 2018 Lisa Gray

(Houston Chronicle) In a front room of the Masjid at Taqwa, a Sugar Land mosque, Sarah Alikhan watched M.J. Khan film a Facebook video endorsing her. Khan, 68, isn’t super-fluent with Facebook, but as a former member of Houston City Council and […]

When terrorists learned ‘lawfare’ works: The Holy Land Foundation trial’s 10-year anniversary

December 3, 2018 Todd Bensman

(PJ Media) In November, a writer for the American Thinker called to ask for my recollections about covering the trials and tribulations of what is often described as the largest terrorist fundraising operation in U.S. history. It hadn’t occurred to me, but […]

‘This is not all of us.’ Call to remove Muslim from post divides Tarrant Republicans

November 14, 2018 Anna M. Tinsley

(Star-Telegram) There’s a clear division in the Tarrant County Republican Party. At a time when many want to focus on the 2020 election, in the wake of this reliably red county turning blue in this year’s U.S. Senate race, Tarrant Republicans instead […]

‘We’re patriots’: Tarrant Republicans met to discuss ousting Muslim from party post

November 10, 2018 Anna M. Tinsley

(Star-Telegram) It is still up in the air whether a small group of Tarrant Republicans will succeed in a controversial plan to oust a leader of their party because he’s Muslim. Tarrant Republican precinct chairs met for nearly four hours Saturday — […]

Fiery sermon alleging child misconduct cover-up ignites outrage among Irving Muslims

November 1, 2018 Sarah Sarder

(Dallas Morning News) The Islamic Center of Irving is facing backlash from the North Texas Muslim community after allegations surfaced about a man behaving inappropriately with children at the mosque. The center issued a statement Sunday, saying it had filed a police report […]

He counseled a teen for years, but she says he was grooming her for sex A young woman filed a lawsuit and a police report accusing a Texas imam of sexual misconduct. Those who know her say it’s a landmark moment for Muslims saying #MeToo.

October 18, 2018 Hannah Allam

(BuzzFeed) Late at night on Dec. 5, 2016, the respected imam of one of the biggest mosques in Texas allegedly invited an 18-year-old to a prepaid room at the Motel 6 in Grand Prairie. The young woman, identified as Jane Doe in […]

Iranian front group funds institutions across US

October 16, 2018 Ryan Mauro and Justen Charters

(Clarion) The Alavi Foundation is an Iranian front group that funds mosques and educational institutions in the U.S. and Canada. In 2009, federal prosecutors charged that the Alavi Foundation was a front group for the Iranian government and violated U.S. law by […]

‘Meet-a-Muslim Monday’ opens up conversations in DFW

October 8, 2018 Hanaa’ Tameez

(Star-Telegram) Dallas-Fort Worth, meet Hammad Fazlani of Plano. Fazlani is a senior at the University of Texas at Dallas where he studies software engineering. He likes playing basketball and football and enjoys hanging out with his fraternity brothers. He’s also the subject […]

For a lot of Muslim Republicans, their party’s over Muslim voters in the GOP are wondering how, or whether, to cast ballots at a time of anti-Muslim rhetoric from politicians in their own party.

September 7, 2018 Hannah Allam

(BuzzFeed) Anwar Khalifa is about as Texan as you can get. He speaks in a sharp twang and cruises around in a Chevy truck with real longhorns mounted on the front. He never skips “worship day,” he taught his three daughters to […]

Ex-Muslim customers kicked out of Houston Starbucks for wearing ex-Muslim t-shirts

September 4, 2018 Tyler O'Neil

(PJ Media) Former Muslims with Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA) were kicked out of a Starbucks connected to a Hilton hotel in Houston, Texas, on Saturday. Video shows Lina, an ex-Muslim Syrian woman, physically barred from re-entering the Starbucks after she had […]

Houston protesters clash outside Islamic convention

September 1, 2018 Kristi Nix

(Houston Chronicle) Tempers flared Saturday when more than 100 protesters and counterprotesters squared off outside a large Islamic convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center. A Texas Patriot Network member ran across barriers erected by police around noon and began punching […]

Jury finds Jordanian immigrant guilty of capital murder in Houston ‘honor killings’

July 26, 2018 Brian Rogers

(Houston Chronicle) A five-week capital murder trial came to a swift ending Thursday when a Harris County jury took less than an hour of deliberations to convict a Jordanian immigrant of killing his son-in-law and orchestrating the slaying of his daughter’s close […]

Clock Boy defamation suit dismissed

July 12, 2018 Carmel Kookogey

(Conservative Review) On Wednesday, the Texas Court of Appeals, affirming the trial court’s ruling, dismissed entirely the defamation lawsuit filed by Mohamed Mohamed on behalf of himself and his 15-year-old son, Ahmed Mohamed. Ahmed caused a bomb scare by bringing a hoax […]

Extremists headline Houston convention

July 10, 2018 Ryan Mauro and Alex VanNess

(Clarion) The 55th Annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention is scheduled to take place in Houston from August 31 to September 3 and, as in years past, its appealing moderate theme is contradicted by its choice of extremist speakers. ISNA was […]