HOUSTON — To some extent, Mohamed Hussein knew he was preparing to enter the lion’s den. But he made the decision to attend the Republican Party of Texas Convention to confirm for himself that he had a place in the GOP, even as members of the party have railed for months about the urgency of ending Sharia Law and the so-called “Islamification” of Texas.
What he found was a party that didn’t want him. He arrived with hope but left in tears after being told explicitly that he should leave the country.
Hussein was among four Muslims who arrived at the convention in earnest — not as protesters, but as delegates or attendees — to participate in the annual meeting of the state’s most hardline Republicans as they voted on the party’s priorities and heard from GOP leaders. Two prevailing themes from the Houston gathering were party unity and combatting Sharia Law, a movement that veered into outright Islamophobia by members of the convention.
“When they say Sharia-free, that means Muslim-free, no practices of Islam,” Hussein said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “No one is calling for the state to implement Sharia laws.”
Hussein said he was in disbelief that he was told to convert or leave — for the first time in his life — at a Republican convention with the tagline, “Unity drives victory.”
That slogan, touted by the governor on press releases, placards, lanyards, and even the elephant he procured to march through the convention hall, became a rallying cry for the state’s leaders and party nominees heading into November. If fractured, they warned, the party could lose the state to Democrats and their U.S. Senate nominee, Austin state Rep. James Talarico.
But despite that warning, members were willing to lose the support of Muslim conservatives.
On Saturday, outgoing GOP chair Abraham George addressed two Muslim delegates from the stage, who members tried to expel from the convention because of their ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group the GOP and Gov. Greg Abbott have deemed a terrorist threat.
“I would strongly advise you to leave our caucus,” George said. “There is a Democrat convention happening in a couple weeks. Join them.”
“There’s no place in America for you,” he added.
On Saturday, the last day of the convention, Hussein attended a panel from the Judeo-Christian Caucus moderated by Dr. Rick Scarborough, a former Southern Baptist pastor and the president of Recover America, an organization engaged in politics. Speakers told the audience that immigrants who don’t believe in Judeo-Christian values will erode those values and create problems for America. Scarborough accused Muslims of lying to win political power.
“You’re going to find Muslims that aren’t being antagonistic or mean, at least not publicly. But I’ll guarantee, if they get power, they’ll cut your head off as believers of Christ,” he said.
State Sen. Bob Hall, an Edgewood Republican, also repeated the accusation that Muslims are “required by Sharia to lie” in order to “stay below the radar of being aggressive.”
Hussein was appalled by what he was hearing. From the back of the room, he objected, declaring that attendees had heard lies about Sharia throughout the convention. He was practicing Sharia at that very moment, he said.
“When they tell you that we’re compelled to lie, they are putting your Texan neighbors in an impossible position where nothing that we can say or do can absolve us from the crimes that they are accusing us of,” Hussein told the crowd. “That is not just, the Bible commands you to be just, and that is not American.”
Sharia refers to the lessons of the Prophet Muhammad, interpreted as the framework, or laws, for how Muslims should live their life which call for fasting, daily prayer, modest dressing, and charity.
Following the panel, the two shared contact information. Shortly thereafter, Scarborough approached Hussein.
“What do you want me to do, leave?” Hussein asked Scarborough.
“Yes,” replied the minister.
Hussein, sobbing, turned from Scarborough, retreating to some chairs to cry alone. Scarborough followed and sat down next to him. The pastor placed an arm on the back of Hussein’s seat, leaning in to console him.
Scarborough, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, clarified that he thought Hussein should leave the country: “If you’re going to embrace the values and the teachings that you’re advocating for, there’s no place in America for you. That’s not assimilation. That’s taking over.”
A CAIR chapter founder
Hussein’s family moved to Houston from Egypt in 1992. He loved U.S. history in high school and regards the Bill of Rights, which provides for freedom of religion, as a “beautiful document.”
These days, he is a father and works as a manager at a health care company.
Hussein, a religious man who prays multiple times a day, called himself a “conservative-leaning person” on economics, social and religious values, and he believes that religion has a role to play in social and public life.
He attended the convention with his father, Tarek Hussein, who founded CAIR Texas-Houston, the local branch of the Muslim civil rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in the wake of 9/11. Tarek Hussein attended as a registered delegate.
In November, Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations with the goals of imposing Sharia law and supporting terrorism worldwide. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed in December. The Trump administration began naming foreign branches of the Muslim Brotherhood — but not CAIR — as terrorist organizations days after Abbott. The federal government expanded the list this year.
CAIR has denied wrongdoing or terroristic activity. The group says they follow all laws and exist solely to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. They have said they’re being targeted for opposing Israel in the war in Gaza.
“CAIR is a radical organization connected to terrorists who killed Americans and has been condemned by both Republicans and Democrats,” Texas GOP Chair D’rinda Randall said in a statement to the Tribune, just days after her election to the post. “Republicans are fully united and focused on victory in November.”
The elder Hussein said he aligns with the GOP on fiscal conservatism and opposing abortion and Obamacare. A staunch social conservative, he opposes pornography and prostitution, and even the alcohol industry.
He became politically active following the 2001 terrorist attacks during a heightened period of Islamophobia. The next year, he founded the local branch of CAIR-Texas with the goal of educating fellow Muslims in the American political system. By giving them hope in America, he said he hoped to drive people away from
