Texas has seen steady growth in its Muslim population over the last few decades, largely driven by immigration from other countries, migration from other U.S. states and growing families. Estimates vary, but the state is commonly said to have one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.S., especially concentrated in Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and Austin.
As communities have grown, so has physical infrastructure, including Islamic centers and schools.
Texas Scorecard reports the new Texas American Muslim University (TexAM) at Dallas markets itself as the nation's first that blends degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with mandatory Islamic studies and explicitly positions Islam at the center of its academic model.
Officials with the Texas A&M University system have taken issue with the unauthorized use of the Texas A&M University name and school trademarks, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) recently ordered the Richardson-based institution to immediately cease operations for illegally offering higher education programs in Texas without state authorization.
The education board sent a letter to TexAM stating that the school never received the required Certificate of Authority from the state to operate or grant degrees in Texas under Chapter 61 of the Texas Education Code.
Kate Bierly, a higher education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, says her organization has other concerns.
"TexAM directors … maintain ties to domestic radicals and also foreign extremists," she relays, noting that one of its founders is "an overt supporter of foreign terrorist operatives."
Additionally, TexAM first established itself in 2023 as an inactive non-profit.
"At their fundraising events, TexAM processed donations through a third-party intermediary called Mercy Without Limits," Bierly details.
Mohamad Albadawi, the chairman of that Islamic-run humanitarian aid charity, also chairs a Muslim Brotherhood group that is described by federal prosecutors as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.
"When looking at the TexAM and the Mercy Without Limits events, we see a lot of red flags," Bierly reiterates.
One of the most alarming things in her opinion is the fact that TexAM shares a building with the Islamic Seminary of America, a radical organization that trains imams.
The educational outlet began its first semester in October 2025 with about 26 students. At the time Texas ordered it to cease operations, TexAM had been advertising and enrolling students, but its website is no longer online.
