State Senator Bob Hall sent a letter to the Texas State Board of Education earlier this month expressing his opposition to the inclusion of Sharia law in the state curriculum.
Last week, board members met and heard public comments on new social studies curriculum standards and instructional materials for grades K-12. Under the proposed standards, students would learn about Christian leaders, including Moses as a lawgiver and Abraham as a leader of the Abrahamic religions, as well as the importance of Christianity during the Roman Empire and how it influenced Western civilization, America, and Texas. Students would also be tasked with understanding and explaining the rise of radical Islam, including terrorist attacks attributed to the religion and how the United States has responded to those threats.
However, Muslim activists and advocacy groups have begun pushing back against the proposed standards, accusing the material of being hateful and misrepresenting the Muslim faith.
One activist who testified before the board was Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Austin—a designated foreign terrorist group in the state of Texas.
Zayan argued that the standards lacked a clear definition of terrorism and risked falsely associating it with Islam.
“When terrorism is not clearly defined and used only in association with Muslims, we ignite hate and prejudice against the Texas Muslim community,” Zayan said. “Definitions and labels matter, and our students deserve standards that help them objectively and critically evaluate both historical and current events.”
Prior to the meeting, Hall sent a letter urging board members not to adopt “any proposed social studies TEKS or instructional materials that promote the inclusion of Islamically-connected Sharia law in a way that goes beyond objective historical reference.”
Hall added that the instructional material on Islam should include “documented historical facts involving the horrific realities of mistreatment of women and animals,” to ensure that “all aspects are disclosed.”
Additionally, Hall wrote that while students should learn about world history, the curriculum should not elevate a doctrine that is in opposition to American and Texan values.
“Curriculum standards and instructional materials must remain focused on factual history and avoid presenting foreign terrorist doctrines in a manner that will be seen as endorsement or promotion,” wrote Hall. “I urge the Board to reject all standards or instructional materials that promote curriculum associated with Sharia law, and ensure that Texas classrooms remain grounded in objective, historically accurate instruction based on traditional American values.”
Texas congressmen also weighed in on the curriculum debate, sending a letter to the SBOE advocating for board members to uphold their duty to “stand up for American history and not allow it to be perverted by radical activists.”
“The SBOE educational standards must reflect truth and accuracy- for without truth what is the purpose of education?” the congressmen wrote. “The fact is that Texas was neither founded upon nor influenced by Islamic principles. Revisionist history, which inserts concepts, ideas, and practices into our history that were not present, is just as damaging to the public conscience as omitting truth.”
“Students should be taught age-appropriate facts and hard-truths, even when it is uncomfortable. Islam did not play a role in the founding or development of Texas, and to say so would be an outright lie,” the letter continued.
Last Friday, SBOE members voted on partisan lines, 8-7, to grant preliminary approval of the new curriculum and keep Islamic teachings out of classrooms.
The board will meet again to cast a final vote on the social studies standards from June 22-26, 2026. If approved, the proposed curriculum will be implemented for the 2030-2031 school year.