Houston Muslims Divided Over IRS Ruling Allowing Religious Endorsements of Political Candidates
Johnson Amendment Interpretation Sparks Debate Among Texas's Half-Million Muslim Community About Faith and Politics
The Internal Revenue Service's new interpretation allowing houses of worship to endorse political candidates without losing tax-exempt status has divided Houston's Muslim community, with prominent leaders expressing conflicting views on whether Texas mosques should embrace political advocacy or maintain strict separation between religious practice and electoral politics. The July 7 IRS court filing, which permits "good faith" endorsements made during religious services as part of worship communication, has triggered soul-searching within Texas's estimated 500,000-member Muslim community about the role of political expression in sacred spaces.
While some national Muslim organizations have welcomed the regulatory shift, influential Houston Muslim leaders are urging caution, warning that mixing religion and politics could weaponize faith communities and compromise their spiritual mission.
Muslim Leaders Sound Alarm Over Political Entanglement
Mohammed Usman "Jazz" Aijaz, Houston area founder of the Muslim United Political Action Committee and committeeman for Congressional District 22 in the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee, expressed strong reservations about the IRS ruling's implications for Texas Muslim communities.
"I personally don't want to see Texas Muslims endorsing political candidates," Aijaz told the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday. "Religion is always weaponized".
His concerns reflect broader anxieties within the Muslim community about maintaining the integrity of religious spaces while navigating an increasingly polarized political environment. Aijaz noted that while Texas politicians have historically been welcomed in Houston mosques, most Muslim leaders have been careful not to openly endorse them in front of their congregations.
"I personally don't want to see Texas Muslims endorsing political candidates. Religion is always weaponized."
— Mohammed Usman "Jazz" Aijaz, founder of the Muslim United Political Action Committee
National Muslim Rights Group Urges Restraint
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, issued a statement last week "strongly advising" mosques not to allow speakers to endorse political candidates, despite the IRS's new interpretation.
CAIR emphasized the Johnson Amendment's role as a protective barrier for religious institutions. "For many of us, it has served as a guardrail that keeps our sacred spaces from being transformed into partisan campaign organizations that can influence elections without oversight, abuse their tax-exempt status, and flood politics with even more dark money funneled through charitable donations," the organization stated.
The civil rights group acknowledged the "sense of urgency" from Muslim leaders to take political stances at mosques, especially amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, but maintained that religious leaders can still "speak out forcefully on policy, on justice, and on values" without explicitly endorsing candidates.
"For many of us, it has served as a guardrail that keeps our sacred spaces from being transformed into partisan campaign organizations that can influence elections without oversight."
— Council on American-Islamic Relations statement
"Imams and khateebs can still speak out forcefully on policy, on justice, and on values. They just can't say: 'Vote for Candidate X.'"
— CAIR statement on political expression
Recent Tensions Highlight Political Sensitivity
The debate occurs against the backdrop of recent political tensions within Houston's Muslim community. Earlier this year, Aijaz "broke up" an argument when a pro-Palestinian demonstrator was handcuffed outside a Houston-area mosque during a mayoral campaign event.
The incident unfolded in April 2025 when Muslims protested the appearance of Sugar Land council member and mayoral candidate Naushad Kermally at Brand Lane Islamic Center's Masjid As Sabireen in Stafford. Protesters accused the Muslim politician of being a "Zionist" supporter, leading to confrontations that many Muslims blamed on the mosque and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston for mishandling the demonstration.
The controversy resulted in some groups demanding the resignation of mosque elders, illustrating how political engagement can fracture religious communities. Kermally ultimately lost the mayoral race.
Political Diversity Within the Texas Muslim Community
Political affiliations within Texas's Muslim community are far from monolithic, complicating decisions about political engagement in religious settings. Generally, many Muslims in Houston and Dallas, especially older individuals, have identified as religiously and politically conservative. However, more Muslims, largely Millennials and Generation Z, now lean progressive during Trump's second term and the rise of Muslim politicians such as Zohran Mamdani in New York.
Texas Muslim voters across the political spectrum have expressed concerns over Republican-generated political attacks on the proposed Muslim-centric 'EPIC City' housing project in Dallas-Fort Worth and the ongoing impact of the Israel-Hamas war on state residents.
IRS Ruling Details and Legal Context
The IRS interpretation emerged from a proposed settlement in National Religious Broadcasters v. Billy Long, where the National Religious Broadcasters organization and two Texas churches—Sand Springs Church in Athens and First Baptist Church Waskom—alleged that the Johnson Amendment violated their First Amendment rights.
On July 7, the IRS stated in court that communications in "good faith" by a church to its members wouldn't amount to "intervening" or affecting the outcome of a political campaign. The agency compared religious institutions' endorsement of candidates to a "family discussion".
The proposed settlement specifically allows houses of worship to speak "to their congregation, through their customary channels of communication on matters of faith in connection with religious services, concerning electoral politics viewed through the lens of religious faith".
Christian Community Response Provides Context
The ruling has drawn praise from Texas Christian conservatives, with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Dallas-based pastor Robert Jeffress celebrating the IRS's stance. Jeffress, leader of First Baptist Dallas and a Trump ally, called the recent IRS update "the right decision," according to NPR.
"The IRS has no business dictating what can be said from the pulpit," Jeffress said. "They need to stay the heck out of our churches".
President Donald Trump, who promised in his first term to "get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment," has long opposed the 1954 provision that restricts political endorsements by tax-exempt religious organizations.
Legal Experts Urge Caution Despite Ruling
Despite the IRS interpretation, legal experts emphasize that the Johnson Amendment remains federal law. The settlement agreement technically applies only to the plaintiff churches, though its practical impact may extend more broadly.
Muslim Matters, a prominent Islamic publication, warned in a July 25 analysis: "For now, the Johnson Amendment remains the law of the land. Until Congress revises the law, a court clearly reinterprets the law, or many houses of worship begin permitting speakers to endorse candidates with clear approval from the IRS, the safest thing for mosques to do is to continue on as if nothing has changed about the law".
The organization advised: "Until further notice, mosques should still not permit speakers to endorse candidates".
Broader Implications for Religious Freedom
The National Council of Nonprofits has urged organizations to help protect nonprofit nonpartisanship by signing onto a national letter opposing the settlement agreement. The organization argues that the proposed agreement "would declare the Johnson Amendment unconstitutional and bar enforcement of the law against the two churches involved in the case".
Critics worry that allowing religious endorsements could open floodgates for political manipulation of religious communities and undermine the tax-exempt status that has traditionally protected houses of worship from political interference.
Houston Muslim Community Navigates Forward
As Houston's Muslim community, estimated at 500,000 residents with ties to South Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, and other regions, continues to grapple with the implications of the IRS ruling, leaders emphasize the importance of maintaining religious integrity while engaging civic responsibilities.
Aijaz noted that the issue has been "at the forefront of our minds every time a politician comes into the mosques," reflecting ongoing tensions between political engagement and religious practice.
The debate within Houston's Muslim community mirrors broader national conversations about the appropriate relationship between faith and politics in an era of increasing polarization. While the IRS ruling provides new legal latitude for political expression in religious settings, many Muslim leaders remain committed to preserving their sacred spaces as places of worship rather than political organizing, even as they acknowledge the urgent civic issues facing their communities.
As Texas Muslim communities continue to navigate these complex questions, their decisions will likely influence how religious minorities across the country approach the intersection of faith, politics, and civic engagement in the years ahead.