Muslim community leaders in Texas are drawing a direct connection between Governor Greg Abbott’s anti-Muslim rhetoric and an incident of religious harassment at an Austin park, after two men—one dressed in Crusader-era clothing—disrupted a monthly family potluck on December 27, prompting immediate policy changes by city officials. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Austin chapter says the confrontation at Walnut Creek Park reflects a climate of hostility fueled by state leaders who have labeled the civil rights organization a terrorist group and accused Muslim communities of threatening Texas values.
Crusader Outfits and Megaphones at a Family Breakfast
Dozens of Muslim families gathered at Walnut Creek Park in North Austin on the last Saturday of December for their regular monthly potluck breakfast, an event held after dawn prayers that has taken place peacefully for years. According to CAIR-Austin Operations Manager Shaimaa Zayan, two men arrived prepared with a megaphone and at least one dressed to resemble a medieval Crusader, shouting hateful remarks at the families and children.
“Two people, individuals, showed up, seemed like they were prepared, dressed up in a certain way, resembled the crusader-era outfits, and had a megaphone and an object. A message also started shouting,” Zayan told FOX 7 Austin. Video posted by CAIR-Austin captured the confrontation, showing families with young children facing the verbal harassment.
While the two men did not become physically aggressive, concerned attendees called 911. When Austin Police Department officers arrived, they advised both parties to leave the park, citing free speech protections that limited their ability to intervene.
“It was deeply troubling that those hateful individuals chose to intimidate and threaten us in a public place that is meant for children to play around safely.” — Muzzammil Ahmad, community member
“Even if it’s legal, even if it’s protected under the First Amendment, the free speech, it was still, it was concerning,” Zayan said in the FOX 7 Austin interview.
City Moves Swiftly to Change Police Response Protocol
Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax released a statement calling the harassment “abhorrent” and announcing immediate changes to how police handle hate speech incidents. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis directed that officers must now call a supervisor to the scene whenever an apparent hate speech occurrence is reported, according to Broadnax’s statement reported by FOX 7 Austin and KUT.
“In many instances, while hate speech is not illegal, individuals may be cited for other violations, such as causing a disturbance,” Broadnax said in the statement. The city manager added that Austin will work to “ensure” public spaces like parks remain safe “for community members to gather free of harassment or intimidation.”
Zayan welcomed the policy change in a statement to KUT, saying, “This new policy will benefit not only the Muslim community but all vulnerable communities facing similar harassment based on their identity.” She told FOX 7 Austin that requiring a higher-ranking officer on scene means “it’s taken more seriously when a higher, you know, higher officers in the hierarchy is there.”
CAIR, Governor Abbott Created a Climate of Hostility
CAIR-Austin directly linked the park harassment to Governor Abbott’s recent actions against Muslim organizations, including his November 18, 2025, proclamation designating both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations” under Texas state law. That designation prohibits the groups from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas. However, legal experts have questioned Abbott’s authority to make such declarations—a power usually reserved for the U.S. Secretary of State.
“We appreciate the city-level response, and we are waiting for the governor, and you know all of the state officials who always talk about Muslim invasion and Muslim threats,” Zayan told FOX 7 Austin. “We want to know what they think about this incident.”
CAIR-Austin specifically called on Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn to condemn the harassment at the park, according to KUT and the Houston Chronicle. All three officials have targeted CAIR in recent months, with Paxton joining Abbott’s designation effort and Cornyn filing federal legislation in December to revoke CAIR’s tax-exempt status.
Governor Responds With More Terrorism Warnings
Abbott has not directly addressed the Walnut Creek Park incident despite multiple media requests for comment. On December 18, before the park harassment, Abbott told reporters, “I say to CAIR, if you don’t want to be labeled a terrorist, stop supporting terrorists,” FOX 7 Austin reported.
The day after the park incident became public, Abbott posted on X (formerly Twitter): “The threat of Islamic terrorism is perpetual,” thanking the FBI for arresting a Texas man accused of attempting to aid the Islamic State group. In a December 18 statement quoted by FOX 7 Austin, Abbott referenced an immigration case involving a Jordanian man. He accused CAIR of “embracing that terrorist and pleading that he not be deported from the United States of America.”
“By defaming a prominent American Muslim institution with debunked conspiracy theories and made-up quotes, Mr. Abbott has once again shown that his top priority is advancing anti-Muslim bigotry, not serving the people of Texas.” — CAIR national statement.
CAIR has filed a federal lawsuit against Abbott and Paxton over the terrorist designation, arguing it “has no basis in fact or law” and violates constitutional protections. The organization notes it has successfully sued Abbott three times previously for what it calls unconstitutional attempts to suppress pro-Palestinian expression and activism in Texas.
Broader Pattern of Tensions Over Muslim Communities
The Walnut Creek Park harassment comes amid a series of confrontations between Abbott’s administration and Texas Muslim organizations. Since September 2025, Abbott has posted on social media that “sharia law” is banned in Texas, opened multiple state investigations into a Muslim-focused residential development near Dallas called EPIC City (later renamed The Meadow), and shared content describing Islam as a “militant ideology,” though some posts were later removed.
CAIR-Texas responded to Abbott’s September social media posts by inviting him to visit Texas mosques and pointing out that Texas does not actually have a formal “Sharia ban,” according to the Houston Chronicle. “Governor Abbott should visit one of the many mosques across Texas to learn about what sharia really is,” a CAIR spokesperson said, adding that “the Texas Muslim community fears God, not dishonest fearmongering from politicians who understand Islam about as well as they understand the First Amendment.”
Civil rights leaders, including Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of CAIR’s Dallas-Fort Worth chapter, have compared Abbott’s tactics to those used by segregationist governors against the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Texas State Representative Ron Reynolds told CBS Austin that Abbott’s designation feels “like Jim Crow all over again,” calling it “state-sanctioned discrimination.”
Policy Changes and Ongoing Tensions
While Austin’s new police protocol represents a concrete response to the park incident, the broader conflict between Texas state leadership and Muslim advocacy organizations shows no signs of resolution. CAIR has pledged to continue its legal challenges against Abbott and to continue exercising what it calls its constitutional rights to free speech, religious freedom, and advocacy for civil and human rights.
KUT, KXAN, and FOX 7 Austin all reported that Abbott, Paxton, and Cornyn declined to comment when contacted about the harassment at Walnut Creek Park. As court battles proceed and Muslim community leaders call for state officials to condemn religious harassment, Texas Muslim families say they will continue their monthly gatherings—determined, as one community member told KXAN, that “every child, every Muslim family, or any family, any child from any background has the right to enjoy this beautiful space safely and without intimidation.”