Muslim Americans living in Texas say they have never — not even in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 — experienced the level of intimidation and hostility they face today. In TheDeenShow Episode 1199, host Eddie sits down with Dr. Yasir Qadhi, imam at the Epic Mosque in Plano, Texas, and one of the most respected Islamic scholars in North America, to unpack a deeply troubling series of developments: a state governor leading a wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric, a new school curriculum stripping Islam of its positive contributions while inserting disparaging portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and a political class that once solicited Muslim votes now fabricating conspiracies about “Sharia takeovers” to win at the polls. The conversation is urgent, richly informed by lived experience, and — despite the weight of what it covers — grounded in faith, purpose, and a clear-eyed optimism that refuses to surrender.
Manufacturing the Monster: How Fear of Islam Became a Political Currency
Dr. Qadhi is unambiguous about the roots of this hostility: this is not organic public concern — it is a calculated political strategy. Texas, he argues, has become the undisputed ground zero of Islamophobia in America, driven by politicians who have determined that fear sells where policy cannot. Figures like Congressman Keith Self — whom Dr. Qadhi describes as being on a “self-proclaimed crusade” — have turned Muslim Americans into a manufactured enemy, tweeting that every mosque stocks AK-47s, claiming the Epic Mosque is a forbidden zone where girls disappear under mysterious circumstances, and framing basic Islamic lifestyle choices — what you eat, how you dress, the water you drink — as evidence of a sinister Sharia conspiracy. The cynicism is staggering: these are the very same politicians who visited the Epic Mosque without armed guards, broke bread with Muslim families, and sought Muslim campaign donations — only to pivot entirely when it served their electoral interests. Dr. Qadhi identifies two driving motivations behind this coordinated campaign: selling fear as political currency to a base with nothing substantive to vote for, and — he states this directly — diverting American public attention away from the ongoing genocide in Gaza by amplifying panic about Muslims at home.
“They create an imaginary monster out of the Muslim community — Sharia, Sharia, Sharia. The most we can say is that we have more falafel shops in Texas. This is our version of a Sharia takeover. Creating controversy out of thin air is their proven method of winning at the polls.” — Dr. Yasir Qadhi
- Muslims comprise just 1% of Texas’s population — yet are portrayed by some politicians as an imminent civilisational threat
- Politicians who visited the Epic Mosque to campaign now call it a “Sharia enclave” and allege “mysterious deaths” on the floor of Congress — claims Dr. Qadhi dismisses as outright slander
- Airport prayer and foot-washing facilities for Muslim travellers are being targeted for defunding by state legislators
- Anti-Muslim rhetoric has already preceded real-world violence — from Christchurch to San Diego to Chapel Hill — making the stakes of this discourse genuinely life-and-death
- Dr. Qadhi urges Muslim Americans to vote, organise, and hold politicians accountable: “These are the people who pay your taxes. If you don’t engage, you are ceding ground to those who want you gone.”
- Civic engagement is presented not merely as a right but as a religious duty — a form of amanah (trust) owed to the community
Erasing a Faith from the Classroom: The Assault on Islamic Education in Texas Schools
Among the most alarming developments examined in this episode is the sweeping overhaul of Texas’s school curriculum. The new curriculum is designed not simply to reduce coverage of Islam, but to replace accurate Islamic history with actively negative portrayals — scrubbing every positive Muslim contribution to science, philosophy, medicine, and world civilisation while inserting disparaging material about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the final messenger sent to all of humanity. For Muslim parents across Texas, this is not an abstract policy dispute — it is their children’s sense of spiritual identity and belonging being dismantled inside state-funded classrooms. Dr. Qadhi draws a direct line from this curriculum change to the broader political architecture: when generations grow up without an honest understanding of Islam, the fear-mongering of politicians finds fertile, unchallenged ground. The same faith that produced Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, that illuminated the libraries of Andalusia, that gifted the world algebra, the university, and the foundational principles of medicine — this is the faith being distorted beyond recognition in a Texas school textbook, and Muslims have both the right and the responsibility to push back.
Ambassadors of Faith: Dr. Qadhi’s Call for Unity, Courage, and Spiritual Clarity
“Don’t be ashamed of your faith. We need you as ambassadors. Show people your morals. Show people the beauty of your faith through your manners. Smile like the Prophet ﷺ did. And dear Muslims — study what happened in Andalusia. Learn from Saladin. When we fought among ourselves, we lost everything. Allah says: ‘Wa la tanaza’u fatashalu’ — do not divide, or you will fail.” — Dr. Yasir Qadhi
What makes this conversation so spiritually valuable is not its catalogue of grievances — it is the unshakeable clarity of Dr. Qadhi’s guidance in response to them. Faced with unprecedented hostility, he counsels neither withdrawal nor despair, but active, dignified, and faith-rooted engagement with every arena of public life. His message to Muslim Americans draws directly from Quranic wisdom: unity is not optional — it is divine command. Every mosque in America, he reminds us, stands open to anyone willing to come and see the truth for themselves, because the beauty of Islam has always been its most powerful argument. For non-Muslims grappling with media-driven anxiety about their Muslim neighbours, Dr. Qadhi’s message is equally simple and equally sincere: the people you have been taught to fear are families paying taxes, raising children with strong values, building communities, and contributing to American life with the moral seriousness that Islam demands. The real “takeover” is nothing more than more falafel shops, more halal barbecue, and more families living out their faith with quiet, confident dignity — and that is something every person of conscience, Muslim or not, can recognise as a gift rather than a threat.
