[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2291-S2292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, this year, as we all know, we are 
celebrating America's 250th anniversary. This, of course, is an 
opportunity for all of us to reflect with gratitude on the many 
liberties and freedoms that we enjoy--fundamental freedoms not enjoyed 
by most of the rest of the world--all of which help make America an 
exceptional nation.
  America is a country envied by millions or perhaps billions of people 
around the world who long to experience the liberties we too often take 
for granted here at home. But it is also true that many countries do 
not share

[[Page S2292]]

our values. Instead, they impose authoritarian or theocratic rules on 
their own citizens, as we have witnessed in recent years.
  Even on continents like Africa, countries like Nigeria have come 
under international scrutiny for violating the rights and freedoms of 
Christians and other religious groups as their legal system has become 
more and more entwined with theocratic rule--in this case, Sharia law.
  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a 
report last July detailing some of these abuses. The report found that 
Nigeria's enforcement of so-called blasphemy laws has created 
restrictions on the religious freedom of Christians and other faith 
groups.
  Nigeria's Constitution grants authority to local governments to 
adjudicate their laws through Sharia, or religious, courts. In some 
states, this has resulted in the charging, fining, and imprisonment of 
non-Muslims. Twelve states in Northern Nigeria have been permitted to 
implement laws derived from a Sharia framework criminalizing blasphemy. 
They have also enforced Sharia-based code punishment that utilizes 
corporal punishment, including amputation and stoning, for certain 
offenses. Some state governments in Nigeria have thrown several people 
into prison for violating blasphemy laws, including a Christian nurse 
and a humanist, who were both released last year. Several more remain 
in prison to this day under similar charges, with some even sentenced 
to the death penalty.
  In Europe, as a result of massive migration from Middle Eastern 
countries, there has been an increase in the practice of Sharia law in 
various Muslim enclaves--frequently, pockets of parallel legal norms in 
some urban centers.
  While we as Americans allow freedom of speech and expression and 
religion, it is hard to imagine a judge in another country imposing the 
death penalty on someone for having different beliefs or for a judge to 
throw someone in jail for sending a message online that a religious 
judge finds offensive, which, of course, would never happen in America 
because of the First Amendment in part, which protects religious 
freedom. But this is a road that America could go down if we do not 
remain vigilant and committed to the foundational principles of 
individual liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion 
enshrined in our Constitution.
  These incidents occurring in Nigeria may seem far away, but they 
underscore the dangers of what can happen in a country that is not 
guided by the values that we hold dear here in America, and they offer 
a glimpse of what could happen in free Western countries like the 
United States if Sharia law became entwined in a nation's governing 
philosophy. As I mentioned, because of massive Muslim immigration from 
the Middle East into Europe, this is happening right now in many 
enclaves across Europe.
  Back home in Texas, my constituents have become increasingly alarmed 
at immigrant enclaves that seek to adopt Sharia law right here in the 
United States. Last summer, a group of individuals attempted to create 
a Sharia law compound in Josephine, TX, known as the East Plano Islamic 
Center, otherwise known as EPIC City. This complex would have been a 
planned community strictly for Muslims centered around a mosque and 
a private Islamic grade school. The developers planned to have homes 
available for sale to noncitizens but restricted to those who would 
supposedly ``contribute to the overall makeup of [the] community.'' In 
other words, they would seek to bar people not sharing their same 
beliefs.

  This is clearly a very lightly veiled attempt at religious 
discrimination and, of course, is prohibited by Federal law, including 
the Fair Housing Act, among other civil rights laws. Naturally, many of 
my constituents were concerned, as was I. There is something so 
alarming about this planned community where only residents of a 
particular faith are welcome and allowed to purchase a home and where 
principles of religious law like Sharia law would govern daily life, 
education, and commerce.
  I wrote a letter to the Department of Justice asking them to 
investigate EPIC City for potential violations of Federal civil rights 
laws. Governor Abbott has been instrumental in making sure that this 
planned community will never come to fruition, and I am thankful for 
his leadership and remain committed to ensuring that Texas does not 
ever allow such a community to be created. Furthermore, I plan to 
introduce legislation here in the Senate to ensure that any attempts to 
impose or adopt religious law, including Sharia, never become realized.
  Our country was founded on principles of liberty, equality, freedom 
of religion, and freedom of speech. We cannot shrink from these ideals 
by allowing certain individuals to advocate or embrace Sharia law, nor 
can we allow advocates for Sharia law to enter our country and actively 
work to undermine our Constitution.
  We welcome legal immigrants from around the world, regardless of 
religious belief, who want to become Americans through a legal, orderly 
process, but we want Americans not just in name only but in terms of 
their willingness to embrace the very values ensconced and protected by 
our Constitution. We want them to become fully assimilated as 
Americans, as America always has.
  By recommitting ourselves to our Constitution and to our founding 
principles, our country will see another 250 years of liberty and 
justice for all.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Vermont.

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