TEXAS BLOWS THE LID OFF SHARIA FINANCE: Texas Exposes Foreign Islamic Financial Pipeline Operating in America’s Heartland

The Austin Roll Call: How Texas Is Exposing Foreign Financial Networks on American Soil

By: Amil Imani

Most people look for foreign influence at the federal border, but on July 30, a paper trail inside the Texas State Capitol proved the real beachhead might be in the state’s banking system.

While legacy news cameras chased federal soundbites in Washington, the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Veterans Affairs quietly convened in Austin for something far more dangerous to the status quo: a methodical audit of foreign money in American backyards. This wasn’t political theater designed for a ten-second clip. It was a cold, calculated exercise in state power, laying down an evidentiary blueprint built to reclaim American land, lock down financial pipelines, and force federal agencies to answer for what they’ve ignored.

That strategy hinges on a unique Texas weapon: the interim charge. Because the state’s part-time legislature meets just once every two years, the real legislative warfare happens in these off-season hearing rooms long before the public ever sees a headline. This is where statutes are quietly pre-written, bulletproof evidence is locked into the public record, and next year’s sweeping state mandates are weaponized long before January’s opening gavel ever hits the bench.

The backdrop to this hearing was already historic. In November 2025, Governor Greg Abbott issued a landmark executive proclamation designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations within Texas. The order took direct aim at foreign influence operations by barring both groups from acquiring land anywhere across the state.

Although CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund quickly mounted a federal court challenge, alleging first amendment violations, Texas leadership signaled that the state would not back down from defending its borders and banking systems.

Taking the witness chair was Sam Westrop, head of Islamic Watch at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Rather than offering political rhetoric, Westrop submitted a detailed, written filing directly into the official public record – a permanent document titled Sharia Finance in Texas.

The filing methodically detailed over a dozen financial entities operating within the state, highlighting major institutions like Guidance Residential, which reports over $2 billion in home financing, and Sharia Portfolio, with over $3 billion in globally managed assets. The record also named key operational firms and financial groups including Ijara CDC, University Islamic Financial, Amana Mutual Funds, and A Continuous Charity.Westrop’s testimony mapped out links between these domestic entities and foreign networks tied to radical Islamist currents – including Deobandi, Salafi, and Qutbist ideology – as well as state actors in Malaysia and Iraq.

More critically, the testimony traced the financial ecosystem back to the Islamic Development Bank, a multilateral financial institution whose major shareholders include the governments of Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. According to the filed record, this global institution has quietly funneled millions into state-level non-profits, mosques, and local educational institutions – including a $3.5 million expansion of the Austin Peace Academy, located in the heart of the Texas capital.

Following Westrop, senior fellow Ammon Blair outlined actionable enforcement mechanisms for state lawmakers. Recognizing that federal authorities hold exclusive power over international terrorist designations, state officials are turning to robust transparency laws – a domain where state authority remains unchallenged.

To counter foreign influence, the proposed Texas legislative strategy focuses on a three-tier framework centered on state-level oversight and financial transparency. First, the state would mandate full financial disclosure for local entities, requiring them to reveal their governance boards, corporate structures, and foreign backers. Second, lawmakers would establish systematic state-level vetting, subjecting any organization seeking tax privileges, state contracts, or land acquisitions to rigorous audits. Finally, the framework applies network-level enforcement, allowing regulators to track and restrict entire foreign-tied funding pipelines rather than evaluating entities in isolation.

The proposed framework urges state lawmakers to:

1.    Build a State-Level Transparency Registry: Mandate comprehensive disclosures revealing who finances local institutions, who sits on governance boards, and where capital originates.

2.    Implement Network Auditing: Require thorough vetting for any organization seeking state contracts, tax privileges, or land acquisitions, treating foreign-backed funding networks as unified systems rather than isolated entities.

3.    Impose Strict Penalties: Enforce clear statutory consequences for organizations with verified ties to hostile foreign interests or designated foreign threats.

While representatives for the named financial entities maintain that their operations are fully compliant with standard commercial banking rules, and CAIR continues to dismiss state actions as political maneuvering, the official state record tells a clear story.

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s escalating lawsuit to strip CAIR of its ability to operate on Texas soil isn’t just local legal drama—it’s the frontline of a quiet revolution. States are finally realizing they don’t have to wait for Washington’s permission to defend their borders, their land, and their financial systems from unvetted foreign capital.

When the Texas Legislature gavels back in this January, lawmakers won’t be starting from scratch or relying on soundbites. Sitting on the shelf is a cold, fully documented financial paper trail—a line-by-line blueprint that hands states the exact model to police foreign influence on American soil.

For a complete breakdown of the testimony and official filings from the hearing, watch the full report on YouTube:

The Austin Roll Call: Texas Hearing on Foreign Financial Influence