Texas school district blames 'procedural breakdown' after student reveals Islamic group distributed Qurans, hijabs on campus

A Texas school district is blaming a “failure to follow established procedures” after a Muslim outreach group with ties to anti-Christian ideology distributed Islamic materials to students at one of its high schools. 

The controversy began after a student at Wylie East High School in Wylie, a suburb of Dallas, posted a now-viral video on social media in which he claimed Islamic religious literature — including a pamphlet advocating for Sharia law — was distributed on campus.

“Today, there was an organization called Why Islam that had a huge table booth in front of our school,” said Marco Hunter-Lopez, the president of the school's Republican Student Club."

According to Hunter-Lopez, the group was distributing Islamic head coverings, or hijabs, to female students “throughout the high school” as well as copies of the Quran and “pamphlets about Sharia law and other Islamic things” during lunchtime.

After having a discussion with the four women who were there representing Why Islam, Hunter-Lopez said he was confused as to why the group was allowed on campus. “We typically have colleges come out. We have our clubs …” he said. “We’ve never had a faith group, to my understanding.”

“From what I’ve seen, I’ve never seen churches or Bibles passed out. I can’t confirm that 100 percent, but I can say this was a big thing they wanted to push out today,” he added, referring to the Islamic materials.

According to a CP review, the Why Islam website promotes anti-Christian ideology that includes statements declaring Jesus is “not the Son of God” and an entire page devoted to criticism of New Testament teaching, or what the website terms “Pauline theology.”

The website’s terms of use page also states that Why Islam is “wholly owned by The Islamic Circle of North America,” whose website states on its Why Islam page that “Muslims believe that God has no father or mother, no son or daughter. None is equal to Him. He is God of all humankind, not of a special tribe or race.”

Wylie ISD spokeswoman April Cunningham told The Christian Post on Wednesday that during a lunch period, “four women representing the organization Why Islam were present on campus.” After reviewing security footage, the spokesperson said school officials believe somewhere around “50 students visited their table.”

Most students appeared to take a piece of candy, while approximately four students received Henna designs, and about a dozen tried on a scarf or hijab, according to Cunningham. 

“The Why Islam table also included informational pamphlets and copies of the Quran. A few students voluntarily picked up materials, and the representatives provided Why Islam-branded bags for those who accepted the items,” Cunningham added.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the group gained access to the Wylie East High School campus or who authorized it. However, Cunningham said the district launched an investigation Monday evening after officials were made aware of Hunter-Lopez’s video.

“While that investigation remains ongoing, we have confirmed that district protocols for guest speakers and student club interactions were not followed,” she added. “Ultimately, this issue stems from a failure to follow established procedures.”

The event appears to be linked to World Hijab Day, which the Muslim Student Association at Wylie East High School promoted in a Feb. 1 social media post. The caption for the post described the goals of World Hijab Day as “to get non-Muslim women to try on hijab for a day” and “to give dawah (or “invitation”) to non-Muslims about Islam.”

This was confirmed late Wednesday after Wylie ISD Superintendent Kim Spicer told parents that the event was held in coordination with the Muslim Student Association for World Hijab Day, according to CBS News. 

However, because the representatives from Why Islam did not obtain approval to be on campus or to distribute religious materials, a school staff member has been placed on leave for granting them access to students without authorization. 

Last February, Wylie East High School Principal Tiffany Doolan promoted World Hijab Day on her Instagram page, writing, “Yesterday, our MSA created an opportunity for everyone to experience the beauty of wearing a hijab on World Hijab Day! I LOVED this experience!”

Cunningham told CP the current controversy stemming from the Why Islam group was “not about religion, politics, ideology, or any personal belief system.” Instead, she said, it was a “procedural breakdown” in which “mistakes were made, and we take full responsibility.”

She also denied claims that Why Islam’s presence on campus “was part of a coordinated effort to promote a religious or political agenda.”