Latest news with #YasirQadhi
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Not All Muslims Are the Same. Radical Islamism in the U.S. Must Be Stopped
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There is a grave difference in ideology among persons claiming to be Muslims in America. Islamists are dangerous extremists. Muslims following Islam but rejecting Islamism are nether radical nor extreme. Take Imam Yasir Qadhi, the spiritual leader behind Texas' East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) City housing project. He is an admirer of Yusuf Al Qardawi—the Muslim Brotherhood ideologue. Qadhi also defended convicted Islamist extremist Aafia Siddiqui, who is now serving 86 years in federal prison for providing material support to Al-Qaeda. Aligning with Islamist misogyny, Qadhi dismissed the Women Life Freedom movement in Iran. His speeches indicate he is at least an Islamist apologist, but more accurately a hardcore Muslim Brotherhood Islamist and staunch Hamas supporter. The dome and minaret of the Crescent Islamic Center near Dulles International Airport stands out against the evening sky. The dome and minaret of the Crescent Islamic Center near Dulles International Airport stands out against the evening sky. Getty Images Qadhi has addressed the Islamic Circle of North America and Muslim American Society conferences—both reportedly Muslim Brotherhood organizations—and in these meetings refused to condemn the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. In their own promotion, EPIC City aims to build a mosque, school, kindergarten, and community college and facilities for the elderly—capturing generations of Muslims from cradle to college, isolating them from wider society. Some Muslims state over 75 percent of EPIC City's housing association fees will finance the local mosque, purposefully deterring non-Muslims from moving in—an intrinsically discriminatory practice. Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn has asked the Department of Justice to investigate EPIC City's developers. This is an opportunity to examine not only the EPIC City project but radical Islamism's potential to threaten the fabric of American society. Extensive investigations into the covert activity of America's Muslim Brotherhood have been documented. The cudgel of Islamophobia silences critics since Islamists portray themselves as persecuted Muslim minorities. Islamists—seen through the lens of creed—benefit from the protection of the U.S. Constitution, which enshrines the right to religious freedom for all, failing to recognize Islamist beliefs as political totalitarianism. Yet American democracy is not safeguarded from encroaching Islamism. As an observant Muslim, I have no objection to Muslims building mosques, but developments intended to silo Muslims are certain to result in not parallel but closed societies, fueling Islamism. Segregating society along religious lines is not only un-American, but it is also antithetical to the Quran's pluralism, including the exhortation mankind might know peoples of all tribes. Segregation weakens society, even one as strong as the United States. Islamism—not Islam—corrals both public discourse and political legitimacy over all Muslims. Islamists manage all aspects of any interaction of the Muslim with the wider secular society, seeking to drive a wedge between a religious minority—the Muslims in America—and American society at-large. The Islamist's aim is neither to enhance the lives of Muslims in the United States nor to seek a political coup (as some histrionic observers might claim), but instead to weaponize democratic privileges while seeking to subjugate both American democracy and the lives of pluralist Muslims living full American lives. Western Europe reveals the devastating outcomes of unchallenged Islamism. Elham Manea, a scholar of Islamism, has called significant attention to this danger. In Britain, Sharia courts alongside Jewish halacha courts—Beit Dins—long exist, always in deference to British law. Under Islamist influence, Manea's research shows, Britain Muslim women and girls living in sealed Islamist-dominated Muslim communities are denied knowledge of or access to the British legal system (beyond forementioned Sharia courts) by their own communities. Despite being British citizens, Islamists ensure fellow Muslims are denied the rights Britain accords them in marriage, divorce, custody, or inheritance. In Germany, Islamist Muslims openly demand the democratic right to formulate a Sharia caliphate within Germany. Sweden (known for its generous asylum policy) permitted migrants to reunite with family already settled, allowing migrants to choose their place of migration entrenching rapid ghettoization and environments ripe for incubating Islamism and virulent Islamist antisemitism—Malmo being a notable example. Juvenile gang-related crimes have become rampant. Sweden has itself announced it has lost autonomy over violence. Rich and once powerful democracies are weakened in climates favoring Islamism. France is at an even greater precipice of alienation between its Muslim population and its non-Muslim citizenry. These fissures are where Islamism leaps in to segregate, cohort, and indoctrinate with antidemocratic illiberal Islamist values forming the milieu ripe for radicalization, including terrorism and evolutionary jihad. Muslims who have long warned against Islamism have paid a very heavy price. The consequences can be lethal. Boualem Sansal, Algeria's most acclaimed writer since Nobel Laureate Albert Camus, is now sentenced to five years in prison for criticizing Islamism in both Algeria and France—a victory for Islamists and a warning to Muslims defending themselves and their democracies from Islamists. Knowing the distinction between Islamism and Muslims following Islam is critical, not only in the singular example of EPIC City in Texas, but for policymakers across America to safeguard all citizens, including Muslims, to live free of Islamists' destructive extremism. Dr. Qanta Ahmed, MD, is a life member at the Council on Foreign Relations, senior fellow at the Independent Women's Forum, and author of In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom. Her X account is @MissDiagnosis. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Memri
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Texas Islamic Scholar Yasir Qadhi at May 2024 Islamic Conference Discusses Anti-Israel Student Protests: 'Victory Is Long Term,' Thousands of Americans Are Embracing Islam; U.S. Freedoms Make Muslims
At an Islamic conference titled Mercy to Mankind, held in Warren, Michigan in May 2024 by the Miftaah Institute, Texas-based Islamic scholar Yasir Qadhi of the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) spoke about Islam's growing presence in America and the role of campus activism in driving conversions. He emphasized that American freedoms allow Muslims to speak openly and organize without fear, stating that 'they cannot shut our voices down,' and that this environment enables Muslims to become 'more powerful than any entity and government on the face of this earth.' Dr. Qadhi, chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America and prominent leader of the U.S. Muslim community, said that thousands of people in the U.S. are embracing Islam, attributing this surge to the momentum of anti-Israel protests and the activism of Muslim students. He shared a personal story about speaking with a student during a protest at MIT and later receiving an email from the university's president informing him that the student had converted to Islam. He also noted that the next generation of Muslim Americans—Gen Z and Millennials—will rise to leadership roles in business and politics, underscoring that 'victory is long term.' Qadhi is one of the leaders of EPIC City, an Islamic housing project in East Plano, Texas. The conference video was posted on the Miftaah Institute YouTube channel on April 14, 2025.
Memri
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Texas Islamic Scholar Dr. Yasir Qadhi, Driving Force Behind Islamic 'EPIC City' Project: We Will Not Cower Down, We Are the True Followers of Jesus and We Will Show What It Means to Be Believers in Go
In a March 28, 2025, Friday sermon at the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) in Texas, Islamic scholar Dr. Yasir Qadhi addressed the backlash against the EPIC City 'faith-based' housing development project he is championing. He rejected the 'misinformation' spread about the Islamic faith and the EPIC mosque, emphasizing that they are exercising the freedoms and constitutional rights afforded to them as Americans. Dr. Qadhi urged his listeners not to 'cower down' and accept what he described as the 'second-class citizenship' of Muslims. 'We are taking advantage of our constitutional rights,' he stated. Dr. Qadhi, the chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America and a prominent leader of the U.S. Muslim community, also commented on the situation in Palestine, saying, 'It is all part of the agenda to demonize and criminalize our faith. They want to make Islam look bad to justify what is happening over there.' He added, 'We are the true followers of Jesus […] We will demonstrate for them what it means to be believers in God.' The East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) is planning to develop a community-centered residential project in Texas, spanning over 400 acres and featuring more than 1,000 residences, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school, a community college, and commercial shopping facilities.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about the 'Sharia city' development planned in Texas
In March 2025, claims (archived) circulated online that a "sharia city" — Shariah being the body of guidance Muslims follow to live a righteous life — was under construction in Texas. Islam critic and RAIR founder Amy Mek shared early versions of the claim on X. Mek's post centered on EPIC City, a development east of Dallas, managed by EPIC Community Capital Partner, a nonprofit organization set up by the East Plano Islamic Center, a mosque and community center near Plano. Another development, EPIC Ranches, is planned nearby. Other claims accusing EPIC City of being a "sharia city" also appeared across X and Facebook (archived) (archived) (archived) (archived). One of Mek's posts also was shared by Texas' governor. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. foreign-policy think tank, Shariah is "the divine counsel that Muslims follow to live moral lives and grow close to God." Interpretations of Shariah, the principles of which stem from the Quran and hadith — sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad — form the basis of Islamic law. Therefore, according to the CFR, "most Muslims worldwide follow aspects of sharia in their private religious practices," and, more likely than not, Muslims living in EPIC City would follow aspects of Shariah, too, when practicing their religion. However, Yasir Qadhi, a spokesman for the projects, told The Dallas Morning News that EPIC City would enforce only Texas and federal laws. We reached out to Qadhi, EPIC City and EPIC Ranches to ask how Shariah would be incorporated into their communities, and await a reply. The EPIC projects were in the early stages of development at the time of this writing, with plots still for sale to prospective buyers. The developers of EPIC City and Ranches clearly advertised the projects' connection to the East Plano Islamic Center. According to EPIC City's website, the project is managed by EPIC Community Capital Partner, a nonprofit organization set up by EPIC specifically to manage the developments. The planned city would consist of nearly 1,100 single -family lots, a private school, commercial space and a mosque, according to investor documents on EPIC City's website. CCP would donate land to EPIC for the construction of the mosque and school, according to the documents. The school would be run either by EPIC or an "affiliate." The EPIC Ranches, announced in February 2025, added 130 additional lots within a short distance of EPIC City. The face of the EPIC City project, Yasir Qadhi, is also a resident scholar at EPIC. While the website for EPIC City and Ranches did not make mention of Shariah, the EPIC City website did advertise the development as "a safe purpose-built community to serve the growing needs of a Muslim community." (Screenshot from According to The Dallas Morning News, a February project update featuring Qadhi described the development as a "Muslim neighborhood" and "a role model community of thousands of Muslims living well-integrated." The cited video update could not be found on EPIC City's website and social media channels at the time of this writing. However, the CCP also told The News it would adhere to the Fair Housing Act, meaning it would not enforce "blanket bans" on any group of people but assess buyers individually for suitability to buy within the developments. The CCP had changed text on its website, according to The News, to make it clear that the EPIC projects could be home to "people of every background, faith, and culture" who "align with our goals of safety and security." Mek's posts, viewed millions of times on X, repeatedly (archived) associated (archived) the EPIC developments with Shariah. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spread Mek's claims further. On Feb. 24, Abbott reposted (archived) one of Mek's posts about EPIC City, writing: To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are "no go zones" which this project seems to imply. Bottom line. The project as proposed in the video is not allowed in Texas. We reached out to Abbott's office to ask what legislation the governor's statements were based on and whether his office would investigate or take action against the EPIC developments, and await a reply. On Feb. 27, Texas state Rep. Jeff Leach sent a letter (archived) to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, writing that: "Reports indicate that this large-scale real estate development may seek to incorporate elements of Sharia law into its operations, raising serious legal and constitutional concerns." We have reached out to Leach to ask which reports he was referring to. We also asked him and Paxton whether investigations into the development were planned or ongoing. We will update this report if we receive responses. Snopes reported in December 2024 about a bill that allegedly made Shariah illegal in Texas. We've reported on claims about Shariah being imposed in Texas since 2015. @AmyMek. "🚨 ALERT TEXAS! 🚨." X, 14 Mar. 2025, ---. "🚨 ALERT TEXAS! 🚨." X, 14 Mar. 2025, ---. "ALERT TEXAS! ." X, 24 Feb. 2025, ---. "Texas' First Sharia City - A Glance at Their Sharia Schools! ." X, 14 Mar. 2025, Civil Rights Division | The Fair Housing Act. 6 Aug. 2015, EPIC City: Thriving Muslim Community by Capital Partners. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025. Epic Ranches. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025. EPIC's Team – EPIC Masjid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025. FAQs: Your Questions Answered - EPIC City. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025. @GregAbbott_TX. "To Be Clear, Sharia Law Is Not Allowed in Texas." X, 24 Feb. 2025, @JeffOli47397071. "Yet You're Allowing Muslim's Build a City near Dallas and Implement Sharia Law?" X, 18 Mar. 2025, Jimenez, Marco A. "Allahu Akbar, Texas… A New Sharia City Near Dallas! ." Facebook, 18 Mar. 2025, @leachfortexas. "Thanks, Mitch. Appreciate Your Support on This and Look Forward to Partnering Together on It." X, 28 Feb. 2025, Spainhouer, Fredd Steven. "𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲." Facebook, 17 Mar. 2025, @TXNSWINDLER. "We Have Way Bigger Issues Currently. ." X, 17 Mar. 2025, Understanding Sharia: The Intersection of Islam and the Law | Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025. Wooten, Nick, and Adrian Ashford. "They Dream of Building Muslim-Centric Neighborhoods near Dallas. Will It Work?" The Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2025,
