The Texas State Board of Education is considering draft changes to the state’s social studies curriculum amid competing demands from Muslim advocacy groups and conservative activists and lawmakers. Congressional Republicans have urged the board to reject what they describe as an organized lobbying push tied to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), while CAIR disputes accusations of extremism and is suing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his proclamation labeling the group a “foreign terrorist organization.”
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) is reviewing proposed revisions to Texas’ social studies standards, part of a multi-year process to update the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
The debate intensified ahead of the board’s April 2026 meeting cycle, where the SBOE took public testimony on the draft standards. Muslim civil rights advocates and other critics have argued that some proposed language and framing would present Islam and Muslim historical figures primarily through the lens of terrorism while omitting broader historical and scientific contributions.
Conservative activists and several Texas Republicans in Congress have urged the board to reject changes they say would elevate Islam’s role in Texas and U.S. history. In a letter first reported by The Daily Wire, Rep. Brandon Gill and other Texas Republican House members said they were concerned about “an extensive lobbying effort” aimed at reshaping the standards and described CAIR as a “transnational criminal organization.”
The Daily Wire report said the lawmakers’ letter cited public testimony that they characterized as asserting “that the Alamo is an Islamic building,” and argued such claims would amount to “sensationalized or false history.” The article also reported that Gill wrote that “Islam did not play a role in the founding or development of Texas.”
The lawmakers listed by The Daily Wire as signing the letter included Reps. Chip Roy, Wesley Hunt, Michael Cloud, Nathaniel Moran, Ronny Jackson, Lance Gooden, Brian Babin, Keith Self and Pat Fallon.
Separately, CAIR’s Texas chapters have publicly criticized the proposed TEKS revisions and the tone of public testimony at the April 7 hearing, calling on the SBOE to reject what the organization described as biased standards.
The dispute is unfolding against the backdrop of Gov. Greg Abbott’s November 2025 proclamation that labeled CAIR a “foreign terrorist organization” and a “transnational criminal organization.” CAIR’s Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin chapters filed a federal lawsuit challenging the proclamation, arguing it violates constitutional protections and noting that CAIR is not designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
