Keith Self says ‘Political Islam’ is infiltrating government. Who in TX-03 is he talking about?

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

McKINNEY, Texas — U.S. Rep. Keith Self says “Political Islam” is following a strategy to infiltrate American government.

It is a warning the TX-03 congressman has repeated in interviews, social media posts and appearances as he campaigns for another term.

But Self has provided few specifics about who he says is carrying out that effort or what evidence supports his claim that Muslim political participation is part of a coordinated strategy to supplant the Constitution.

From accommodation to political power

During a recent Dallas Express podcast, Self told host Sarah Zubiate Bennett that Muslims are “commanded to take over whatever culture they’re in.”

He described a progression beginning with “accommodation,” followed by intimidation and eventually political power.

“And then they start taking power at school board, at the city council, at the county commissioner’s court,” Self said. “There are 230 plus Muslims in office across America today.”

A 2026 directory compiled by CAIR and CAIR Action identified 255 Muslim elected officials nationwide across 26 states, putting Self’s national figure within the range documented by the organizations. CAIR notes there is no centralized national database tracking elected officials by faith.

Self went further, saying “they” are openly talking about changing Congress and the White House to be Muslim.

“That’s right,” Bennett responded.

Self did not identify which of the Muslim officeholders he believes are part of the strategy he described or provide evidence connecting their election to a coordinated political effort. He also did not identify a Muslim elected official in McKinney or elsewhere in TX-03 whom he considers part of that effort.

Self made the allegation more explicit in a Facebook post Tuesday.

“Political Islam’s strategy is clear: infiltrate local politics and governments before attaching themselves to national campaigns and federal elections,” he wrote.

The post offered no supporting evidence that such an organized effort is taking place in TX-03 or connecting local Muslim political activity to the strategy Self described.

Sharia and North Texas

Self has also pointed to an Islamic arbitration group in North Texas as part of his warnings about Sharia law.

During the Dallas Express interview, he called it the “Islamic tribunal of North Dallas” and said it operates as a judiciary “alongside” U.S. law. Self also said some Muslims want Sharia contracts to “take precedence over U.S. law.”

The tribunal has drawn scrutiny from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is investigating allegations that it improperly presented itself as a court. Paxton’s office has said the investigation is seeking evidence to determine whether the tribunal engaged in illegal activity. It has not announced a finding that Sharia law has superseded Texas or federal law.

Local Muslims have publicly rejected that characterization. At the Aug. 18 McKinney City Council meeting, Dr. Taha Ansari said, “Sharia is not a secret political conspiracy, and it’s not going to replace the Constitution. Muslims are Americans. They are subject to the same Constitution and laws as everyone else.”

Self did not cite a court case or other example during the interview in which the tribunal’s decisions took precedence over state or federal law.

Self repeatedly cites U.K. rape-gang cases

Self has repeatedly cited Britain’s grooming-gang scandals in his warnings about Islam, describing “Muslim rape gangs” and claiming at least 250,000 non-Muslim girls were abducted and raped.

During the Dallas Express interview, Self described girls being abducted, sexually assaulted and “passed around,” before saying Britain was being turned into an “Islamic state.”

Britain has documented serious cases of group-based child sexual exploitation, but its national audit found significant shortcomings in available data and said the true scale of group-based exploitation could not reliably be determined. The 250,000 figure is not an established national victim count.

The cases Self cites occurred in the United Kingdom. He has repeatedly used them while warning about Islam in McKinney and North Texas, but has not provided evidence connecting those crimes to Muslims in TX-03 or identified comparable organized activity in his district.

Bennett did not ask Self for that connection or a source for the 250,000 figure. She later described his perspective as “clear,” “balanced” and “factual.”

Requests for additional details

Former McKinney Mayor George Fuller called on Self to produce evidence after Self separately alleged that developers had controlled McKinney and that a “cabal” had run the city. Self did not respond to subsequent questions seeking the names or evidence behind those claims.

Requests for comment and supporting information regarding several of Self’s other allegations have also gone unanswered.

Self continues to describe “Political Islam” as a threat to North Texas and the country. His latest statement alleges an effort to infiltrate local government before moving into national campaigns.

He has not identified the people or organizations he says are carrying out that effort or provided evidence establishing a coordinated campaign.