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Texas Muslims heckled at democracy rally

Mark Wiggins
KVUE-TV, Austin

Amina Hassan, left, 11, of Grand Prairie, and Ayefa Klair, 10 of Irving, are faced with anti-Muslim protesters at the Texas Muslim Capitol Day in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. Hundreds of Muslims from around Texas gathered for the Council on American-Islamic Relations rally and to talk to their representatives about legislation that's important to them.

AUSTIN -- Hundreds of Muslim Texans faced a constant stream of heckling during a rally at the Texas Capitol Thursday that was organized to encourage more Muslims to take part in the democratic process.

Roughly two dozen sign-wielding protesters repeatedly tried to vocally overpower speakers at Texas Muslim Capitol Day, which was hosted by the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

One protester used the podium microphone for a screaming condemnation of Islam before being escorted back to her fellow demonstrators by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, who were out in force to prevent violence.

"I think we now know why we're here today," a visibly shaken Ruth Nasrullah, CAIR of Houston communications director, said after returning to the podium. The loud shouting from protesters continued while a group of young girls sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' and did not relent for the majority of the hour and a half event.

Amid the din, speakers focused attention on issues such as maintaining in-state tuition options for certain undocumented students brought to Texas as children and House Bills 474 and 455, which would require law enforcement officers to wear body cameras.

Protester Christine Weick yells at Muslims during the Texas Muslim Capitol Day in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015.

"We realize that won't stop all of the issues, but it's a way of keeping all citizens safe and also protects the police officers," said CAIR of Houston executive director Mustafaa Carroll. Like those of other faith groups, supporters placed great emphasis on bills affecting religious freedom.

"Our work will not be done until every faith community knows that it has access to its leaders and that its voices will be heard," said Whit Bodman, a Christian pastor with Texas Impact.

"We're also asking our representatives to support a bill that's going to be coming through to actually prevent courts from interpreting our religious texts," Carroll told KVUE. That bill, House Joint Resolution (HJR) 32, was filed by state Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Canton). Flynn also authored House Bill 670, a so-called "anti-foreign law" bill, which CAIR opposes.

"I've heard more about Sharia from non-Muslims than I ever heard from Muslims and I've been a Muslim since I was nineteen years old," said Carroll, who argues the United States and Texas Constitutions render "anti-Sharia" laws unnecessary.

"There's no codified set of laws. There's no what they call 'Sharia law,'" said Carroll. "I guess the equivalent would be like the Ten Commandments."

State rep asks Muslims to pledge allegiance

Freshman state Rep. Molly White (R-Belton) sparked intense controversy Thursday after she said she instructed her office to ask representatives from the Muslim community to "publicly announce allegiance" to America. She added: "We will see how long they stay in my office."

The post resulted in a letter from CAIR government affairs manager Robert McCraw to Frank Battle, ethics advisor to Texas Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio), demanding to know:

"Has Rep. White violated any House rules in creating such an internal office policy that is selectively being enforced to discriminate against certain religious minorities trying to meet with her or her staff? Are House members prohibited from making constituents take oaths before meeting with their elected representatives or house staff? Or, are you aware of any other ethical breaches that may have occurred because of these statements?"

Straus later released a statement saying,

"The Texas Capitol belongs to all the people of this state, and legislators have a responsibility to treat all visitors just as we expect to be treated -- with dignity and respect. Anything else reflects poorly on the entire body and distracts from the very important work in front of us."

A protester yells to a group gathered for a Texas Muslim Capitol Day rally, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Austin, Texas. Hundreds of Muslims gathered for the rally as part of their biennial Texas Capitol lobbying day.

CAIR's Carroll told reporters Thursday afternoon his community is too often asked to apologize for the actions of others.

"If you want a denunciation, ask those people who did it," said Carroll. "We stand against them. They're not our friends because more Muslims are killed by terrorists than anyone else."

Organizers said the day's most important objective was easing fears and encouraging Texas Muslims to participate in the democratic process. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas vice president of legal Annette Lamoreaux noted many have come from countries where there is no tradition of government participation.

"It's very important for both the adults, and I came up on a bus of students, for them to learn that this is their Capitol and these are their representatives," said Lamoreaux, "And they need to participate in the democratic process and let their voices be heard."

"Many of our folks have come from places where they never had any contact with government and if they did it wasn't always good," said Carroll. "So many of them are afraid to even be here, and this was a way of opening that up so that this mystique about government wouldn't affect them."

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