STOPPING SHARIA INFLUENCE IN TEXAS

  (Mr. Self of Texas was recognized to address the House for 5
minutes.)
  Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a growing threat to
the rule of law in my State of Texas.
  The rise of sharia, the law of Islam, has reached a tipping point in
the Lone Star State, especially in north Texas, which I represent.
Opaque sharia-compliant actions are advancing across our State and our
Nation. We must be clear that America recognizes only one legal system:
the Constitution and laws of the United States.
  I commend Texas Governor Greg Abbott for his strong leadership in
recently confronting this challenge. His actions regarding the proposed
Texas American Muslim University and the planned Muslim-only event at a
taxpayer-funded water park demonstrate the continuing vigilance
required to protect our uniform system of justice.
  Last year, nearly 95 percent of Texas voters supported Proposition 10
to ban sharia. That was not a symbolic gesture. It was an overwhelming
mandate. Texans declared decisively that no foreign legal framework
shall influence, operate alongside, or supplant our State's judicial
system. They expect their elected representatives to honor that vote.

  Recent events in the United Kingdom offer a stark and tragic warning.
A new independent report on grooming gangs has exposed decades of
systematic child sexual exploitation, predominantly of young, White,
British girls by groups of Pakistani Muslim men, with authorities
repeatedly failing to act out of fear of being labeled racist.
  Thousands upon thousands of victims were betrayed by the very
institutions meant to protect them. We must not allow such horrors to
take root here in America.
  While Congress is acting--my bill, H.R. 6230, the Tehran Incitement
to Violence Act, passed the House and is now pending in the Senate--
Federal efforts alone are not enough. The primary responsibility for
protecting our legal system from parallel frameworks rests on the
shoulders of an informed citizenry, along with those of State and local
leaders. Texans are leading the way, and others are beginning to
follow.
  In Kaufman County, Texas, Federal, State, and local officials worked
in unison to stop a sharia city project backed by a Dubai-based
development company.
  Several of my constituents confronted the Wiley School Board after
one of their high school principals granted a group called Why Islam
access to the campus to hand out Korans.
  One of my constituents, Jessica Hulcy, grabbed her walker, got a ride
to Josephine City Hall, and stood in front of a crowded room to share
her concerns about the proposed East Plano Islamic Center.
  Across the Red River, citizens in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,
successfully put a stop to a sharia enclave after imploring their local
leaders to just say no.
  Even across the pond, citizens in the U.K. are beginning to push back
against the cultural shift wreaking havoc in their community because of
sharia's influence.
  In America, belief is protected. Conduct under the law is not. Let me
be clear: Sharia is a political-legal ideology, not a religion.
Therefore, it should not fall under the First Amendment protection for
faith and worship. The First Amendment safeguards an individual's right
to believe and practice their religion, but it has never granted
immunity to political systems, especially those that claim authority
above the Constitution, which sharia does.
  When presented as a governing framework that dictates civil law,
family law, criminal penalties, and public policy, sharia functions as
an ideological legal code rather than a religious belief.
  Under this view, the Constitution must remain the supreme law of the
land. No ideological system, particularly sharia, religious in origin
or otherwise, can override the liberties, equal protections, and
democratic processes guaranteed to every American.
  I thank the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas legislators
advancing commonsense measures, such as House Bill 495, which prohibits
public institutions from accepting funds from foreign adversaries.
  I also encourage States to expand tools for local officials,
including county commissioners, in order to safeguard our laws.

                              {time}  1215

  Thomas Jefferson declared: ``I have sworn upon the altar of God
eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.''
This eternal hostility must extend to any religious or foreign legal
code, particularly sharia, that seeks to supplant American liberty and
self-government.

  As Sir Winston Churchill warned: Sometimes it is not enough that we
do our best; we must do what is required.

                         OLMSTEAD DECISION MEMO

  (Mr. Subramanyam of Virginia was recognized to address the House for
5 minutes.)
  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, as the Senate looks to confirm or not
confirm Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, I want to point to the
body a recent DOJ memo on the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision which
threatens to turn back the clock decades to a time when Americans with
disabilities were offered less choice, less freedom, and less care.
  This memo means that DOJ will not require States to serve people with
disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.
That means people with disabilities would be isolated from their
families and from their communities.
  Families with a disabled loved one now fear that their only option is
institutionalization. That is what Olmstead did. It prevented
institutionalization of people with disabilities, and the DOJ is trying
to turn back the clock now.
  They must reconsider this opinion. This is not just about where
people with disabilities live. It is about dignity, equality, and the
belief that every person deserves an opportunity to belong.
  It is on all of us in this body to push back against this
discriminatory policy.

                           Civil War in Sudan

  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, the ongoing civil war in Sudan has
displaced millions of people, and 400,000 people have died. That is
over half the population of Washington, D.C. On top of that, 19 million
people are facing acute food insecurity there.
  The war in Iran and its disruption to the supply chain has made it
even harder for assistance to reach Sudan. I offered an amendment to
the State Department funding bill to evaluate our current funding
levels to Sudan, get them the help they need, and craft a plan to
increase funding levels to meet these gaps.
  Unfortunately, those amendments were rejected. We need to do more to
support the people suffering in Sudan. I urge my colleagues to come
together and provide lifesaving assistance to them. We cannot stand on
the sidelines as lives continue to be lost.

                     Recognizing Academy Appointees

  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an
outstanding group of young leaders from our community who have earned
my nomination as well as appointments to our Nation's service
academies.
  Earning an appointment is no small feat. These students have shown
excellence in the classroom, leadership in their communities, and
dedication to everything they do. However, what stands out most is
their willingness to serve.
  Last week and early this week, all 19 are reporting for their first
days at the academies, beginning with basic cadet training, induction
day, and more as they take the first steps in a lifetime of service.
  At a time when they could choose many different paths, they have
chosen to build one instead that is built on sacrifice, discipline, and
responsibility. Wherever their path takes them, our country will be
better off because they chose to serve.
  On behalf of our community, congratulations to the 19 who are
reporting for their first day. We are proud of them, grateful for them,
and we are excited to see their accomplishments.

                       Honoring Student-Athletes