Ex-Mayor Beth Van Duyne, Known for Anti-Sharia Crusade, Running for Congress
Beth Van Duyne, a former Texas mayor who stoked hysteria around an Islamic tribunal and has associated with anti-Muslim hate groups, is running for U.S. Congress.
Van Duyne鈥檚 public clash with the local tribunal more than four years ago gained her fame among anti-Muslim figures and some right-wing pundits. Two anti-Muslim hate groups, ACT for America聽and the Center for Security Policy, have honored her with awards.
The tribunal is a faith-based arbiter offering nonbinding resolutions to civil disputes. Similar religious tribunals exist within Christian and Jewish communities in the United States.
On Aug. 5, Van Duyne stepped down as the Fort Worth regional director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a post she had held since 2017. She is seeking the Republican nomination for Texas鈥� after Rep. Kenny Marchant announced he wouldn't run for re-election. From 2011 to 2017, Van Duyne was mayor of Irving, Texas, a Dallas suburb.
Van Duyne gained national attention in 2015 when she became fixated on the Islamic tribunal in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
On Feb. 6, 2015, Van Duyne took to Facebook to state:聽鈥淪haria Law Court was NOT approved or enacted by the City of Irving.鈥� She vowed to work to 鈥渂etter understand how this 鈥榗ourt鈥� will function,鈥� and added: 鈥淥ur nation cannot be so overly sensitive in defending other cultures that we stop protecting our own.鈥� The post has since been taken down.
PolitiFact 聽of a 鈥淪haria court鈥� taking root in Texas to be false. Sharia is a聽set of聽, but anti-Muslim hate groups try to twist it into something insidious to sow fear of Islam. The idea that Sharia is gaining a foothold in the United States is a long-running conspiracy theory pushed by anti-Muslim groups.
During a February 2015 interview with Glenn Beck, Van Duyne the imams associated with the tribunal of 鈥渂ypassing American courts.鈥� She did not respond to Hatewatch鈥檚 emails asking for comment.
In March 2015, at the behest of Van Duyne, the Irving City Council voted 5-4 to pass a resolution in support of an anti-Sharia bill then making its way through the Texas Legislature. While that anti-Sharia bill in Texas died, a similar law in 2017.
Since 2010, more than 200 model anti-Sharia law bills have been introduced聽in statehouses across more than 40 states. These bills aim to prevent state courts from applying foreign law. Such bills are superfluous because while judges may take foreign law into account, the U.S. Constitution would supersede the application of any foreign law based on religion.聽As the Brennan Center for Justice , 鈥淔or decades, American courts have applied foreign law as long as it does not violate U.S. public policy.鈥�
have enacted some form of an anti-Sharia-inspired bill. An amendment specifically targeting Sharia law that passed in Oklahoma was 聽by聽a federal court in 2013 after it was found to be unconstitutional. More neutral language such as 鈥渇oreign鈥� or 鈥渋nternational鈥� law has since been used in recent iterations of these bills, including one that later .
The mastermind behind anti-Sharia bills, David Yerushalmi, admitted the true intention of this legislation to 聽in 2011. 鈥淚f this thing passed in every state without any friction, it would have not served its purpose,鈥� he told the newspaper. 鈥淭he purpose was heuristic 鈥� to get people asking this question, 鈥榃hat is Sharia?鈥� 鈥�
For her efforts, Van Duyne was honored by the national ACT for America organization during its annual conference in Washington in 2016. She was given the group鈥檚 National Security Patriot Award. One of ACT鈥檚 main goals is to use its chapter network across the country to lobby state lawmakers to introduce anti-Muslim legislation, including anti-Sharia bills.
Van Duyne鈥檚 appearance at the ACT event appears to have been facilitated through Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump鈥檚 former national security adviser, according to emails that Hatewatch obtained. Flynn previously was an adviser to ACT鈥檚 board of directors. A month after Trump鈥檚 election, 聽about聽having a 鈥渄irect line鈥� to the White House.
On Aug. 11, 2016, Flynn sent an email to Van Duyne titled 鈥淢eeting (10 Aug),鈥� stating: 鈥淚f you can continue to engage with Act For America, I would sincerely appreciate it. I鈥檓 cc鈥檌ng Roy White [then-head of an ACT chapter in Texas] in case there are any questions you might have and I would ask you to seriously consider joining us this September at out [sic] Annual Convention in WDC鈥oy can get you more details鈥ut I am certain, [ACT founder] Brigitte Gabriel would be honored for you to speak.鈥�
The Dallas Morning News 聽that Flynn met with Van Duyne on Aug. 10, 2016, before speaking at an event the Dallas chapter of ACT for America organized. During the ACT event, Flynn likened Islam to a 鈥渃ancer,鈥� the paper reported, and accused it of being 鈥渁 political ideology鈥� that 鈥渉ides behind being a religion."
On Aug. 12, 2016, Lisa Piraneo, ACT鈥檚 director of government relations, emailed Van Duyne to tell her that she would be 鈥渉onored with a special award鈥� at the conference.
Van Duyne responded to Piraneo that Aug. 18, writing: 鈥淭hank you very much for the invitation and acknowledgement. I am truly honored and humbled. It would be a privilege to attend. Roy White encouraged me to stay for as much of the conference as possible so I'm planning on arriving Monday night and leaving Wednesday late afternoon.鈥�
Roy White led ACT鈥檚 San Antonio chapter until he reportedly was 聽in 2017 after allegations of hosting an event that would teach participants how to 鈥渟hut down mosques.鈥� White is involved with two other anti-Muslim hate groups, Truth in Textbooks and the Texas chapter of G416 Patriots. Flynn was also a 聽at ACT鈥檚 2016 conference.
In June 2015, Van Duyne an award from the Center for Security Policy, a group known for publishing dubious reports about Muslims and Sharia.
That same year, she was a guest on Frank Gaffney鈥檚 radio program several times. Gaffney, the founder and executive chairman of the Center for Security Policy, is well-known for engaging in anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.
Speaking with Van Duyne during a June 23, 2015, episode, Gaffney claimed Irving had become 鈥渁 hotbed, it turns out, of efforts to inculcate inside her city, well, a program that is quite at odds with our Constitution. Its adherents call it Sharia.鈥�
Van Duyne also participated in a Homeland Security Forum in January 2017 sponsored by Texas state Rep. Kyle Biedermann. Her co-panelists included Nonie Darwish and Chris Gaubatz, two figures known for their anti-Muslim rhetoric. Van Duyne used the opportunity to urge lawmakers to investigate the tribunal, according to .
The Dallas County Republican Party and Republican Party of Texas did not return requests for comment.
Photo credit: AP Images/LM Otero
