Texas Muslims Turn Out With Burgers, Ballots, and Big Concerns

On a Saturday during early voting, the Islamic Center of Frisco held a barbecue and voting event in a park near a Collin County polling site. Volunteers served burgers and halal hot dogs. People wore stickers that said they voted. They added cajun seasoning and mustard to their food. The mosque is a nonprofit group, so it does not back any candidate. Still, Democrats, Republicans, and independents who showed up agreed that Muslims in Texas should take a bigger role in politics.

The Texas Senate race is getting a lot of attention. Democrat James Talarico is running against Republican Ken Paxton. A win for Democrats could help them take control of the U.S. Senate. It has been 32 years since Texas chose a statewide Democrat. A small change in voter turnout could make history.

Some Texas Republicans have promised to ban Shariah law, even though the U.S. Constitution already blocks it. Governor Greg Abbott labeled a Muslim civil rights organization as a terrorist group. The state school board approved lessons that mostly connect Islam to war and conflict. In Frisco and McKinney, city council meetings turned tense when new mosque zoning came up. One candidate in a Frisco mayoral race made national headlines by calling Islam a terrorist group.

Sarah Asrar became a citizen last year after living in the Dallas area. She cast her first ballot on Saturday. She has three children in Frisco schools. She mostly voted for Democrats because she dislikes the new school lessons. She said the lessons make Muslims look bad, and her daughter feels she must hide her faith. Nauman Shafi works with the mosque's civics committee. He helped organize the barbecue to teach people about voting. He said many mosque members used to vote Republican, but attitudes are shifting. He believes Muslim values match some Republican ideas, yet recent comments from politicians have upset many people.

Hasna Begum has lived in Texas for 18 years. She does not blindly back one party. She disagrees with some positions from both Democrats and Republicans. Still, she thinks all citizens should vote and speak up as taxpayers. Yameen Ahmed handed out cheese slices at the event. He said he has never seen this much anti-Muslim hate in Texas until this year. He pointed to influencers and TV ads during the primary that focused on banning Islamic law. Ahmed went door to door for Talarico. He hopes events like this will reduce voter apathy and push both parties to listen to Muslim Texans.