Secret Sharia ‘courts’ in Texas may be quietly overriding state law — Abbott calls for investigation

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) calls for an investigation into "certain entities" that may be defying state and federal laws to push Islamic codes, according to a statement first obtained by "The Glenn Beck Program."

Abbott issued a proclamation on Tuesday that designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. As a result of this declaration, individuals who promote or aid their criminal activities could face heightened penalties, and the groups' affiliates are banned from acquiring land in Texas.

CAIR condemned Abbott's action, calling it "defamatory and lawless," in a statement emailed to Blaze News.

'The Constitution's religious protections provide no authority for religious courts to skirt state and federal laws simply by donning robes and pronouncing positions inconsistent with western civilization.'

On Wednesday, Abbott continued his efforts to prevent Sharia law from taking hold in Texas.

"It has come to my attention that certain entities in Texas — including in Collin and Dallas Counties — may be masquerading as legal 'courts' staffed with 'judges' issuing orders that purportedly carry the authority to bind individuals to Islamic codes, thereby pre-empting state and federal laws," Abbott said in a statement provided to Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck.

"The Constitution's religious protections provide no authority for religious courts to skirt state and federal laws simply by donning robes and pronouncing positions inconsistent with western civilization," the statement continued. "I urge you, therefore, to investigate efforts by entities purporting to illegally enforce Sharia law in Texas. Legal disputes in Texas must be decided based on American law rooted in the fundamental principles of American due process, not according to Sharia law dispensed in modern day star chambers."

RELATED: No Sharia law in Texas: Abbott draws a hard line against radical Islam

Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Beck noted that Abbott's investigation request would require cooperation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Attorney General's Office.

"The letter is going to be sent out later today. But this is an exclusive report from the governor. I applaud Governor Abbott for actually doing this," Beck said.

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KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images

Abbott sent the letter to North Texas District Attorneys and Sheriffs, the Attorney General of Texas, and the Texas DPS.

“At the outset, the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom provides wide berth for religious institutions to order their own affairs under the ‘church autonomy’ doctrine,” the letter read. “It is different entirely, however, for religious groups to set up courts purporting to replace actual courts of law to evade neutral and generally applicable laws.”

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