Texas student tells congressional panel he faced death threats after speaking out against Islamic group on campus

A Texas high school student told a congressional panel that blatant viewpoint discrimination at his public school was the reason why administrators blocked a Republican student club while approving other ideological groups and events.

Marco Hunter-Lopez, a student at Wylie East High School in Wylie, a suburb of Dallas, shared a viral video on social media in February in which he claimed Islamic religious literature — including a pamphlet advocating for Sharia law — was distributed on campus by a group called Why Islam.

Hunter-Lopez, the president of the school's Republican Student Club, said 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 the group, Hunter-Lopez said he was confused as to why they were 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.”

On May 13, Hunter-Lopez shared his testimony at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, where Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, questioned him about why his attempt to form a Republican club — which met all standard requirements — was initially denied because of its "political nature."

"The requirements are to have 10 members, a teacher that's willing to sponsor, and a room to meet," said Hunter-Lopez. "We did on day one." Despite compliance, he said, the group was later denied "due to its political nature, even though other ideological groups, including groups promoting gender affirming ideology, were approved."

When asked why the school appeared to apply a double standard, Lopez pointed to slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University last September. "They just don't want conservative values. I think it's a trend we've seen with how Charlie Kirk was on campuses and on high school campuses. 

“I think that they think conservative values are a threat because they're true,” he added.

Lopez contrasted the treatment of his club with school support for World Hijab Day, noting that the principal actively participated and promoted the event. "Our principal actually wore the hijab two years in a row that we know of. ... She's posted it, promoted on social media saying she 'loved it,' all caps," he testified, adding that his approved club still faced restrictions, including having posters taken down.

The student also highlighted disparities in school libraries. "McMillan Junior High in Wylie ISD offers a Quran but no Bible available," Lopez said, claiming that "the Bible's not allowed."

A Wylie ISD spokesperson told The Christian Post the school district "rejects the characterization that the district engages in viewpoint discrimination or selectively enforces policies based on religion or political beliefs" and noted that the Republican Club "remains an active student organization on campus."

"Communication between the campus and the student regarding certain club matters could have been better, and district leadership has acknowledged that," Wylie ISD Chief Communications Officer April Cunningham told CP.

The school district also disputed Hunter-Lopez's characterization about the library at McMillan JHS not offering a Bible, adding that after an NIV Adventure Bible was damaged last year, "it was replaced with a King James Version Bible, which remains available to students in the library today."

According to Hunter-Lopez, there were also excessive security protocols imposed on his club's guest speakers, including state representatives and congressmen, which required weeks of advance paperwork and background checks.

In contrast, he said an Islamic group received no such scrutiny. "None. None, from what I know," Lopez stated when asked about protocols for that group. He noted the school did not appear to vet materials, including "Sharia pamphlets" or items with the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith.

Hunter-Lopez told the panel that he faced death threats after speaking out against the Islamic literature.

“I had people saying that they were going to be at my house waiting for me to get home and they were going to shoot me. I had people telling me to kill myself. A lot of different things,” he said. “But I know nobody can proclaim anything over me because I wake up every morning with victory with Christ.”

Following the incident in February, Wylie ISD officials blamed a “failure to follow established procedures” and said it wasn’t immediately clear how the group gained access to the Wylie East High School campus or who authorized it.

Nearly one year prior to the incident, 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!”