AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Muslims rallying at the Capitol on Thursday were greeted by insults from a small group of protesters and demands from one lawmaker that they take a loyalty pledge to the U.S.
More than 200 people came to the rally, hosted by the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, to learn about government and political engagement and discuss issues with lawmakers. About two dozen self-identified Christians protested nearby, shouting “We don’t want you here!” and “Go home!” as children in the crowd grew visibly upset. At one point, a protester grabbed a rally-goer’s microphone to declare Muhammad a “false prophet.”
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Earlier, Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, said she had left an Israeli flag on her reception desk and instructed her staff to ask Muslims who visited her office to renounce Islamic terrorists and pledge allegiance to the U.S.
“We will see how long they stay in my office,” White posted on Facebook.
The incidents were unusual conflicts in what is usually a quiet ritual of a legislative session — groups representing interests from religions to professions to areas of the state spending a day meeting lawmakers for citizen lobbying. The clashes set off a series of denunciations from lawmakers and religious and civil rights groups.
“The problem that even the lawmakers have — they don’t know Muslims,” said Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of CAIR Texas. “And any time anything happens anywhere in the world, they’re asking Muslims to denounce something they have nothing to do with. If you want a denunciation ask those people who did it.”
At the rally, which included singing the national anthem and speeches about political engagement, protester Christine Weick nearly knocked over Ruth Nasrullah, a spokeswoman for CAIR Texas, to claim the microphone.
“Islam will never dominate the United States, and by the grace of God, it will not dominate Texas,” Weick shouted.
After regaining control of the microphone, Nasrullah said the outburst reminded attendees why their presence was necessary at the Capitol.
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