I never thought I would see “Texas Muslim” in a headline. Time to play cowboys and muslims.
Via KERA
Buses from across the state carried several hundred Texas Muslims, many of them first-time visitors, to the state Capitol Thursday. They were met by a small but boisterous group of protesters — and harsh words from at least one legislator.
Before sunrise Thursday, a few dozen Muslims, including students from a parochial school called Radiant Stem Academy, readied for prayers at the Islamic Center of Irving.
Did you pray yet?” one fifth grader says.
After a few minutes, a young boy takes charge, and prayers begin. Later, on the bus to Austin, the kids relax.
“There’s even a bathroom on the back!” says another student. In front of the bus is Saif Islam. He’s excited about his first trip to the Capitol.
“I’m passionate about my right as a citizen of the United States, as a Muslim, to know what I should be doing, so I can contribute in a positive way,” Islam says.
He and busloads of Muslims from at least five other cities participated in what’s called Texas Muslim Capitol Day, a regular event sponsored by the local chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The idea is to show young people and adults how to participate in democracy.[…]
As the visitors arrived to the south steps of the Capitol, they saw a few dozen protesters carrying signs that said “Save America” and “Go Home, Take Obama With You.”
Some shouted “Jesus” and “No Sharia.” They tried to drown out speeches by the Muslim constituents.
Rick Ellis is a native of Fort Worth, and now lives just east of Waco. His sign read “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
“Sharia law violates the rights of persons,” he says. “We do not violate the rights of another person. They violate all over the world … whenever they deal with that … clean the trash out of their own mosques, then they can come lecture me as an American.”
HT GetAClue and LA Mom.