The Keller City Council is preparing to vote on a resolution that would permanently codify a ban on Sharia law and other foreign legal systems, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mayor Armin Mizani, who signed a proclamation in December 2025 declaring “NO SHARIA LAW IN KELLER,” is now seeking formal council approval to make the ban legally binding through municipal ordinance.
The upcoming vote represents what Mizani described as the next phase of his effort to enshrine constitutional supremacy in the North Texas city of approximately 50,000 residents. The mayor initially proclaimed on December 16, 2025, making Keller, as far as is known, the first U.S. municipality to ban Islamic Sharia law through an official proclamation.
What the Resolution Entails
The proposed resolution builds upon Mizani’s December proclamation, which affirms that the U.S. and Texas constitutions “alone define the lawful framework for governance, justice, and civil order within this city,” according to Audacy. The proclamation explicitly states that “no foreign law, religious law, or external system of governance shall have any legal force or recognition within its jurisdiction”.
“In Keller, we are governed by American law, NEVER foreign legal systems like Sharia law or Sharia courts,” Mizani stated on social media. The mayor emphasized that his action affirms “a simple principle: one U.S. Constitution, one legal system, and equal justice under the law.”
The proclamation also protects First Amendment rights by affirming “every individual to freedom of religion, belief, expression, and peaceful worship, while making clear that religious belief does not confer authority to establish parallel legal systems or supersede civil law,” according to The Center Square.
NTIC pushes back on Sharia claims
In its statement, NTIC says efforts to call for a ban on Sharia law “have no legal standing in the U.S. judicial system” and “represent a political distraction rather than a serious policy discussion”. The group argues that the U.S. Constitution remains “the supreme law of the land” and that it “unequivocally guarantees freedom of religion for all Americans,” urging officials to focus instead on “real issues that affect everyday lives, including education, healthcare, infrastructure development, community advancement, and social justice”.
NTIC writes that “promoting oversimplified or willfully ignorant narratives undermines constructive dialogue and detracts from solutions that benefit the broader community”. The organization says it “categorically rejects such divisive rhetoric” and reaffirms its commitment to public education, civic engagement, and interfaith understanding.
Mujeeb Kazi, This feels like a political maneuver.
Mujeeb Kazi, president of NTIC and a Keller resident, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he reached out to Mayor Mizani multiple times after seeing the proclamation and resolution online, but “has not heard back”. Kazi noted that he and Mizani were once political allies when they campaigned for Keller City Council seats several years ago, making the current dispute particularly striking.
Kazi, who grew up in a Muslim‑majority country and has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, said he has “yet to see Sharia law in practice” here. “The Constitution protects the rights of every community, but unfortunately, that has been changing because of misleading and negative rhetoric from politicians,” he told the Star‑Telegram, adding that he moved to Keller for its conservative values and raised his children in the local school district. “As a Muslim myself, I want to understand… To me this feels like a political maneuver,” Kazi said, framing the resolution as driven more by politics than by any real legal threat.
Political Context and Timing
Mizani’s initiative comes amid broader state and federal efforts targeting what some officials describe as the encroachment of Islamic law in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 4211 into law in 2025, which bans residential property developments from creating what the governor’s office termed “Sharia compounds”. This legislation emerged from controversy surrounding EPIC City, a planned Muslim community development northeast of Dallas that developers insisted would not implement Sharia law.
The mayor, who has served on the Keller City Council since 2014 and was elected mayor in 2020, is currently running for the open Texas House District 98 seat in the March 2026 Republican primary, according to Texas Scorecard. “Texas requires leaders with a record of taking clear, principled conservative stands,” Mizani wrote.