What does it mean that 1.9 million Texans voted to prohibit Sharia law — and could the same fight be coming to your state? On this episode of The Jenny Beth Show, Jenny Beth Martin sits down with national-security veteran Frank Gaffney to break down one of the most remarkable grassroots votes in recent memory and the legal battles now unfolding across the country. On March 3, on the Republican primary ballot in Texas, 1.9 million voters backed a five-word proposition: “Texas should prohibit Sharia law.” Gaffney and Martin trace where that number came from, including the controversy over the 400-acre Texas development originally marketed as Epic City and since rebranded “the Meadow,” and the injunctions filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton. They examine Florida and Texas moves to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as terrorist organizations, the court ruling that pushed back on the CAIR designation, and Governor Greg Abbott’s pledge that prohibiting Sharia law in Texas is “a certitude.” Gaffney also recounts the constitutional exchange he had with Senator Ted Cruz on where religious liberty ends and compelled submission begins, and explains why he believes the workable legal path targets conduct already illegal under U.S. law, such as sedition, rather than belief. Frank Gaffney is president of the Institute for the American Future and host of Securing America on Real America’s Voice. He founded and led the Center for Security Policy for 37 years, worked on the Senate Armed Services Committee under President Reagan, and served as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense. Learn more and get involved at teapartypatriots.org and jennybethshow.com.
Guest: Frank Gaffney is president of the Institute for the American Future and host of Securing America on Real America’s Voice. He founded and led the Center for Security Policy for 37 years, served on the Senate Armed Services Committee under President Reagan, and was Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense.
Key topics covered:
- The March 3 Texas primary proposition: “Texas should prohibit Sharia law” and the 1.9 million votes behind it
- The 400-acre Texas development once branded Epic City, now rebranded “the Meadow,” and AG Ken Paxton’s injunctions
- Florida and Texas designations of the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR, and the court ruling on the CAIR designation
- Senator Ted Cruz on the constitutional line between practicing your faith and compelling others to submit
- The “conduct, not belief” legal strategy and the sedition argument
- The Sharia Free Pledge campaign and the oath of office
Timestamps (podcast cut):
0:14 — Cold open: the campaign to ban Sharia law
1:09 — Frank Gaffney’s national-security background and the Institute for the American Future
3:11 — usfuture.org, bansharia.com, and the Victory Coalition
3:33 — Gaffney’s case for treating Sharia as political doctrine rather than protected religion
17:35 — “It’s illegal in this country”: where U.S. law already applies
18:29 — Gaffney’s framing of “civilization jihad,” electoral influence, and demographics
20:36 — “Not all Muslims”: Jenny Beth draws the line on individual religious liberty
25:55 — Bringing the question home: how Gaffney says it surfaces in America
27:19 — The Britain comparison and the grooming-gang policing-failure debate
33:12 — Epic City in Texas: 400 acres and the rebrand to “the Meadow”
35:32 — Ken Paxton’s injunctions and the unsettled legal status
42:22 — Constitutional rights and the limits on compelling others
43:54 — Senator Ted Cruz on religious liberty vs. compelled submission
45:15 — March 3: 1.9 million Texans vote on the proposition
50:22 — The “Marxist-Islamic alliance” framing (credited on-air to Mark Levin)
52:40 — Proposition 10 results and the “red-green-blue” coalition argument
55:27 — What keeps Gaffney going: Reagan and the “watchman on the wall”
57:16 — Florida, DeSantis, and the Muslim Brotherhood / CAIR designations
58:22 — The CAIR court ruling and going after conduct, not belief
59:55 — The Sharia Free Pledge and the oath of office
1:02:17 — Greg Abbott’s designations and Texas real-property restrictions
1:03:21 — Why Gaffney calls this a national voting issue
1:05:01 — Where to learn more; close
Links: bansharia.com, usfuture.org, jennybethshow.com, teapartypatriots.org