Texas is home to many faith leaders, but not all religious figures come bearing messages of peace and coexistence. Some arrive trained in ideological warfare—armed with doctrine designed not to integrate, but to dominate. One such figure now operating in Texas is Imam Hisham Bakr Khalaf, the current Imam of the East Texas Islamic Society. He is a high-ranking Islamic scholar educated in theocratic dogma and credentialed by the very apparatus of the Egyptian state, known for exporting political Islam and Sharia supremacism.
Who Is Imam Hisham Bakr Khalaf?
Imam Hisham is no ordinary religious figure. He is a graduate of Al-Azhar University, the centrepiece of the Sunni world’s Islamic education and indoctrination, an institution historically weaponized by authoritarian regimes to enforce religious conformity and promote a rigid, Sharia-based worldview, both inside the Muslim world and abroad.
Al-Azhar is far more than a university. It is a state-controlled theological authority, the ideological arm of Sunni Islam’s religious authoritarianism, responsible for issuing official fatwas, legitimizing blasphemy laws, and defending apostasy punishments, including death for those who leave Islam.
The institution has consistently backed Egypt’s blasphemy laws, which are used to jail converts to Christianity, secular writers, and Muslim reformers. It routinely labels critics of Islamic law as “spreading corruption on Earth”—a Quranic phrase frequently cited to justify harsh judicial penalties, including execution.
Al-Azhar scholars have declared jihad legitimate until Islamic governance is globally established, and openly deny the right of Muslims to convert to other religions, claiming apostates should be executed under Islamic law. Its curriculum includes texts portraying Jews as inherently treacherous and promotes a theology of permanent hostility toward non-Muslims unless they submit to Islamic rule or pay the jizya tax. Al Azhar will not teach philosophy, as philosophy challenges Islamic faith.
This is the ideological machine that has trained thousands of imams, many of whom are exported into Western nations, including the United States, where they serve as religious leaders under the guise of moderation.
Now, one of its state-certified graduates, Imam Hisham Bakr Khalaf, is quietly building religious influence deep in the heart of Texas, under the protective banner of religious freedom. But the ideology he brings with him, and the state-sanctioned doctrine he is authorized to teach, is anything but free.
Tied to the Egyptian Government and State-Controlled Religious Authority
What makes Imam Hisham a direct concern is his formal certification from the Egyptian Ministry of Awqaf—the government body responsible for regulating mosque activity, issuing state-approved fatwas, and overseeing Islamic proselytization (da’wah) at home and abroad. This is more of an ideological pipeline than it is an academic credential.
The Ministry of Awqaf is notorious for suppressing dissenting religious voices while empowering compliant scholars to promote Cairo’s state-approved, pro-Sharia, anti-secular interpretation of Islam. These scholars are handpicked not just for their knowledge, but for their alignment with Egypt’s Sunni authoritarian religious agenda.
Imam Hisham’s authorization to issue legal rulings (fatwas) and teach Islamic law is not merely scholarly recognition- it is a license from a foreign regime to export a rigid, state-backed religious vision into American institutions, from mosques to prisons to schools.
His presence in Texas, backed by theological credentials tied to a regime that regularly jails liberal reformers and critics of Sharia, raises serious questions about which version of Islam is being quietly normalized within U.S. communities and who, exactly, gets to define “moderate Islam” in our institutions.
A Deep Ideological Arsenal: Certified to Issue Fatwas in Texas
Imam Hisham is officially certified to issue Islamic legal verdicts (fatwas) in the U.S. In a state like Texas, this means he is free to adjudicate religious disputes in accordance with Sharia for willing participants, potentially creating parallel legal structures that conflict with U.S. law, especially in areas of family law, inheritance, and gender relations.
He holds certifications in:
- Shafi’i and Hanafi jurisprudence – both of which allow for corporal punishment, unequal treatment of women, and religious discrimination under strict Sharia.
- Hadith and Fiqh – tools often used by Islamic courts to justify the death penalty for apostates and homosexuals, and to institutionalize religious apartheid under “dhimmitude” rules for non-Muslims.
Red Flags: Strategic Use of Da’wah, Counseling, and Chaplaincy
Da’wah (Islamic outreach) is not merely evangelism—it is a strategic framework for gradual Islamization, especially in non-Muslim societies. Imam Hisham’s experience in da’wah, paired with his Egyptian training, indicates a missionary-style operation focused on transforming communities, not simply offering spiritual guidance.
But da’wah is also a critical step in fulfilling the conditions for jihad. According to Islamic doctrine, when Muhammad approached a new territory, he would offer its people three choices: convert to Islam, live as dhimmis—second-class citizens within their own homes under Muslim rule, or face war.
The central function of da’wah is to give infidels the opportunity to convert. If they refuse, the other two options follow. It is not outreach for coexistence—it is a prelude to subjugation or conflict.
His chaplaincy certification in New York grants him access to prisons, hospitals, and other vulnerable institutions, allowing him to proselytize within government-funded facilities under the guise of interfaith outreach. Given that U.S. prisons have become breeding grounds for Islamic supremacist recruitment, this access is not just concerning; it is most likely strategic.
The Threat to Texas
Texas is not Egypt. They do not operate under religious law, nor do we allow foreign governments to empower religious leaders with state-backed credentials to influence our citizens. Imam Hisham functions as an ideological conduit – trained in authoritarian Islamic doctrine abroad, yet embedded within Texas communities.
- Will he teach that leaving Islam is punishable by death, as Al-Azhar’s doctrine, as well as Islamic orthodoxy, maintains?
- Will he promote the Islamic laws of inheritance, which discriminate against women and non-Muslims?
- Will he counsel Muslims in Texas to follow Sharia instead of U.S. civil law, just as many Al-Azhar-trained imams have done across Europe?
Imam Hisham Bakr Khalaf Is Not Just a Scholar – He’s a Strategic Threat
Texans should not be lulled into thinking that soft-spoken imams with long resumes pose no threat. Imam Hisham’s ideological formation, legal powers, and foreign affiliations make him a potential vector for expanding Sharia-based authority in the Lone Star State.
It is time for Texas lawmakers, communities, and law enforcement to scrutinize the creeping influence of foreign-trained imams, especially those credentialed by regimes like Egypt’s Ministry of Awqaf and institutions like Al-Azhar that openly seek global religious dominance.
