Sharia Law in Texas: What State Law Says in 2026

Last verified October 26, 2026 against current Texas law

Sharia law in Texas is one of the most searched and most misunderstood legal topics in the state. Some posts claim Texas banned Sharia, others say it never has to. The real picture sits in between. Texas courts cannot apply any religious code in place of state and federal law, and the Legislature passed two laws since 2017 aimed at foreign legal systems and religion-linked housing. This page explains what those laws do, what a March 2026 ballot vote did not do, and how the Ten Commandments and school prayer laws fit in.

Is there a Texas law that bans Sharia by name?	No. None of the Texas laws covered here uses the word Sharia
Can a Texas court apply Sharia or any religious code as law?	No. Courts apply the U.S. and Texas Constitutions and Texas statutes
Foreign judgments in family cases	Government Code §§ 22.0041, 22.022 (HB 45, effective September 1, 2017)
Religion-linked housing developments	Property Code ch. 223 and § 301.042(a-1) (HB 4211, 2025)
March 3, 2026 Republican primary question	Advisory only, 94.81% yes, changed no law
Ten Commandments in classrooms	Education Code § 1.0041 (SB 10), allowed to take effect by the Fifth Circuit on April 21, 2026
Next chance for new bills	The regular legislative session that begins in January 2027

Sharia law in Texas: what the law says today

No Texas court applies Sharia as law. Texas judges must follow the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution and Texas statutes. A religious code has no force in a Texas courtroom on its own, whether it is Islamic, Jewish, Christian or anything else.

What Texas law does allow is private, voluntary dispute resolution. Under the Texas Arbitration Act (Civil Practice and Remedies Code ch. 171), two people can agree to have a neutral person decide a civil dispute, including a religious leader. A Texas court can enforce the result only if it passes the same tests as any other award. It cannot decide crimes, and a judge can refuse to enforce an award that violates public policy or constitutional rights.

Family cases get extra scrutiny. In custody and support disputes, the court looks at the child’s best interest under Family Code § 153.002, no matter what the parents agreed to privately.

Did Texas ban Sharia law? A timeline

Not by name. The Legislature has passed laws that touch foreign legal systems and certain housing arrangements, and it rejected at least one broader bill. The table shows what actually happened.

Date	What happened	Effect
2015	HB 562, a bill to bar foreign law in Texas courts, cleared a House committee	Never got a floor vote, so it died
September 1, 2017	HB 45 took effect	Directs the Texas Supreme Court to set strict rules before Texas courts honor foreign judgments or arbitration awards in marriage and parent-child cases
2025	HB 4211 passed (effective September 1, 2025 at the latest)	Regulates residential developments where buyers own a share of a business entity, with Texas-court and anti-discrimination rules
November 18, 2025	Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation on the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)	Declares both foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations and, the governor says, bars them from acquiring Texas real property
February 2026	Attorney General Ken Paxton sued CAIR in Collin County	Seeks to enforce that designation; CAIR denies wrongdoing and has also challenged the proclamation in federal court
March 3, 2026	Republican primary question “Texas should prohibit Sharia law”	Unofficial results showed 94.81% yes, but it was advisory and enacted nothing

The proclamation and the lawsuits are about specific organizations, not about Muslims in general or about the religion. Courts had not finally resolved those cases when we last checked, so treat any claim that they are settled with caution.

Is Sharia law banned in Texas in 2026?

No statute bans it by that name, but the practical effect of Texas and federal law is that it cannot be imposed. The First Amendment bars the government from establishing a religion. The Texas Constitution protects worship and bars religious tests for public office (Texas Constitution art. I, §§ 4, 6).

Lawmakers and some voters want a clearer rule. The Texas Legislature next meets in regular session in January 2027, and bills on arbitration agreements, foreign contracts and family disputes are possible. Any new bill would also have to survive court review, as the Oklahoma example below shows.

HB 4211 and the proposed EPIC development in Collin and Hood counties

HB 4211 grew out of a proposed development linked to the East Plano Islamic Center, known as EPIC. State agencies reviewed the project in 2025. In an April 1, 2025 letter, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told EPIC and its development partner they had no authority to build the proposed city and must halt any unapproved construction. The developers said no construction had begun and that they had no plan to apply religious law.

The law that followed names no particular religion. It applies to anyone selling an interest in a business entity that controls housing instead of selling the land itself. Under Property Code ch. 223, the seller must:

• Disclose that the buyer is buying an interest in the entity, not the home or lot.
• Allow disputes to go to a state or federal court, not only to a private tribunal.
• Avoid treatment that would break the Texas Fair Housing Act if the interest were real property.
• Let owners sell or transfer their interest without approval and without a transfer fee.

A violation is a deceptive trade practice under Business and Commerce Code ch. 17. A court can also block the entity from seeking a municipal utility district or from receiving public money. The same bill added Property Code § 301.042(a-1), which removes a fair housing exemption for homes on subdivided lots within parcels of 25 or more acres owned by a religious organization or a nonprofit it controls.

Texas Ten Commandments law and the Bible in schools

Searches for “Texas Bible law” and “Texas Ten Commandments law” point to two 2025 school laws. Both are about religion in public schools, and neither is about Sharia.

SB 10: Ten Commandments in classrooms

Education Code § 1.0041 requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. The poster must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, and it can carry only the text the law prescribes. Schools must accept donated posters that meet those rules.

On April 21, 2026, the full Fifth Circuit ruled 9-8 in Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District that SB 10 does not violate the Religion Clauses and vacated the preliminary injunction, so the law can be enforced while the case continues. Families asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review it on August 17, 2026 (No. 26-257). The school districts’ response is due November 10, 2026, and the Court had not acted when we checked.

SB 11: optional prayer and Bible reading period

Education Code § 25.0823 lets a school board adopt a daily period for prayer or reading the Bible or another religious text. Boards had to vote by March 1, 2026. Participation needs a signed consent form from a parent or employee, and the readings cannot be broadcast over a loudspeaker. A lawmaker who guided the bill said only about 15 of Texas’ roughly 1,200 districts and charters opted in.

Local rules and history: Irving and Plano

We found no Texas city ordinance that bans or allows Sharia, and cities cannot override state law on courts. Two North Texas places come up most often.

Irving: In early 2015 an Islamic dispute panel offering voluntary arbitration at a local mosque drew national attention. PolitiFact found it was an arbitration service, not a court, and it excluded criminal matters, child support and custody. Then-mayor Beth Van Duyne led the council to back HB 562, which failed.

Plano: The EPIC project takes its name from the East Plano Islamic Center. The statewide rules above apply in Plano like anywhere else.

Myths vs. facts about Sharia law in Texas

Myth	Fact
“Texas courts use Sharia law.”	Texas courts apply Texas and U.S. law. Private religious arbitration is allowed only as ordinary arbitration, and courts can refuse to enforce it.
“The 2026 primary vote banned Sharia.”	It was a non-binding party question. It enacted nothing.
“HB 4211 only targets one religion.”	The text names no particular religion. It applies to any entity-owned housing arrangement, though the governor described it as banning “Sharia compounds.”
“Anyone can now keep Muslims out of a neighborhood.”	The opposite. The Texas Fair Housing Act applies to housing, and HB 4211 removed a religious-group exemption for large tracts.
“An arbitration clause can force a family case out of court.”	Parents may agree to binding arbitration of some parent-child issues, but a judge must still enter the order and may refuse an award that is not in the child’s best interest (Family Code § 153.0071).

How Texas compares with Oklahoma and Louisiana

Oklahoma voters approved State Question 755 in 2010 to bar courts from considering Sharia. A federal court blocked it, and the Tenth Circuit upheld that block on January 10, 2012 in Awad v. Ziriax because the amendment singled out one religion. Louisiana passed Act 714 in 2010 (La. R.S. 9:6001), which bars courts and arbitrators from enforcing foreign law that would violate state or federal constitutional rights. Texas chose a middle path: no religion is named, and the rules focus on foreign judgments and housing contracts.

What to do if this affects you

If you face a housing problem, report discrimination to the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division, which enforces the Texas Fair Housing Act. If you think a developer broke Chapter 223, the Texas Attorney General handles deceptive trade practice complaints. If a school display or prayer policy affects your child, start with the district, then a Texas-licensed civil rights or education attorney.

Frequently asked questions

Did Texas ban Sharia law?

Not by name. Texas passed HB 45 in 2017 to limit foreign judgments in family cases and HB 4211 in 2025 to regulate entity-owned housing developments. Neither uses the word Sharia. A March 2026 Republican primary question calling for a ban was advisory and did not change the law.

Is Sharia law banned in Texas 2026?

There is no statute titled as a Sharia ban in 2026. State and federal constitutions already bar courts from applying a religious code as law. Lawmakers can propose new bills when the Legislature meets in January 2027, but any bill that singles out one religion would face constitutional challenges.

Is there Sharia law in Texas?

No. Texas courts do not apply Sharia or any religious code as law. People can choose private religious mediation or arbitration for civil disputes, as members of many faiths do, but a court enforces the result only if it follows Texas and U.S. law.

Is Sharia law legal in Texas?

Sharia has no legal force as law in Texas. Following religious rules in your personal life, including prayer, dress and diet, is protected. A private religious ruling cannot override a Texas statute, a criminal law or a family court order.

Is Sharia law illegal in Texas?

Practicing the Islamic faith is legal and protected, and Muslims are free to follow their religion. What is not allowed is imposing any religious code as binding law. No Texas statute makes the faith or its personal practice a crime.

What is the Texas HB 4211 law?

HB 4211 (2025) added Property Code Chapter 223. It regulates housing where buyers purchase a share of a business entity rather than land. It requires disclosure, access to Texas courts, fair housing compliance and free transfer of interests, and it enforces violations as deceptive trade practices.

Is the Ten Commandments law in effect in Texas?

Yes. SB 10 applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, and the full Fifth Circuit ruled for the state on April 21, 2026. A request for U.S. Supreme Court review was pending in October 2026, so the law could still change.

If this affects you: for housing discrimination, contact the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division. For a family court or arbitration question, speak with a Texas-licensed family law attorney before you sign. This guide is general legal information, not advice for your situation. It is not a position on any religion. See more in our everyday life and property rights guides, our common law marriage guide, our editorial policy, or report an error.