Answer Desk

Texas Muslim Answer Desk

The questions people most often ask about Muslims in Texas, each with a short answer and a link to the page that explains it in full, with sources.

Numbers and demographics

Religion is not on the U.S. census, so every Texas figure is an estimate with a date and a method behind it.

How many Muslims live in Texas?
Estimates run from the 2010 TSHA figure of 421,972 to the roughly 500,000 cited in a 2025 House resolution that was introduced, not a census.
Which Texas counties have the largest Muslim communities?
In 2020 religion-census figures, Harris County records 91,156 Muslim adherents and Dallas County 60,393; the page compares six metro counties.
How does Texas compare with other states?
Texas’s 2020 religion-census report lists 225 Muslim congregations and 313,209 adherents, shown beside selected states.
Does the U.S. Census count Muslims?
No. The decennial census has no religion question, which is why figures vary.
Where do Texas Muslim statistics come from?
A ledger of every estimate we cite, with its publisher, year and method.

Mosques, Islamic centers, schools and cemeteries, by city, with the source of each count.

How many mosques are in Texas in 2026?
Roughly 280 to 340 mosques and Islamic centers, depending on the directory and what it counts.
How many mosques are in Houston?
Fajr Labs lists 125 masjids across 18 cities in its Houston-area directory.
What is the Muslim population of Dallas–Fort Worth?
There is no official count; Fajr Labs lists 108 DFW-area masjids, and IANT dates to 1969.
Where can I find a mosque near me in Texas?
Our directory lists mosques with addresses and official websites.
Are there Islamic schools in Texas?
Yes. A starting registry of full-time Islamic schools, checked against each school's own site.
Where are the Muslim cemeteries in Texas?
Muslim burial grounds and funeral resources by region.
How do we date a mosque’s history?
Founding, relocation and service dates are different events; a selected chronology keeps each one attributed to its source.
What costs can sit outside school tuition?
One 2026–27 Irving schedule adds materials fees per student and admission and new-family charges outside annual tuition.
How do I find Muslim student support on campus?
Start with the university’s own listing; organizations, prayer rooms and chaplaincy are separate resources.

What Texas law actually says, and where allegations, investigations, lawsuits and court rulings differ.

Is Sharia law legal in Texas?
No religious code governs Texas civil law. Courts apply Texas and federal law, including to voluntary religious arbitration.
Can Texas courts enforce religious arbitration?
Only within ordinary arbitration law, and subject to public-policy and constitutional limits.
What was Texas HB 4211?
The governor’s “Sharia compounds” headline and the enrolled property-law text describe different things.
What is EPIC City, or The Meadow?
A proposed Collin and Hunt County development and the state actions around it, in date order.
Did Texas designate CAIR a terrorist organization?
Texas announced a state designation. It is not the federal foreign terrorist organization designation, which follows a separate procedure.
Did Ken Paxton find an Islamic tribunal in Texas?
An investigation was announced. An investigation is not a judicial finding.
Can Texas cities block a mosque?
Federal religious land-use law limits zoning decisions that burden houses of worship.
Which Texas bills involve Islam?
A tracker of introduced and enacted measures, with status kept separate from rhetoric.

Plain explanations of belief, prayer and the words Texans hear in public conversation.

What does Allahu Akbar mean?
“God is greater.” It opens each prayer and is part of everyday Muslim speech.
What is wudu?
The washing Muslims perform before prayer: hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head and feet.
What is an imam?
A prayer leader and, in many Texas mosques, a teacher and counselor employed by the congregation.
Why do Muslims pray five times a day?
The daily prayers, their times and what they mean to the people who keep them.
What is the difference between a niqab and a burqa?
A niqab covers the face below the eyes; a burqa covers the whole body, with a mesh over the eyes.
What is Islamic finance?
Banking and home financing structured to avoid interest; in Texas, an Islamic mortgage is a private contract under Texas law.
Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?
What Muslims and Christians share and where their understandings differ.

Candidates, history and the public arguments about Muslims in Texas.

Who is on the 2026 Texas statewide ballot?
47 candidates in 18 statewide races, from public records, with no scores or endorsements.
How does the Texas Muslim Voter Guide work?
Its methods, evidence standards and limits.
How long have Muslims lived in Texas?
From Estevanico's 1528 journey to today's congregations, told through people and places.
What is the Sharia panic in Texas politics?
How Sharia became a campaign theme, and what the record shows.
Who publishes Texas Muslim?
Omar Afra, a Houston publisher, is founder and editor.