Top critic of Sharia law says ‘only John Cornyn’ has record to stop radical Islam

Exclusive: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a prominent women’s rights activist who fled Sharia law, endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for re-election in the 2018 election. Decisive Senate race This could determine whether the Republican Party maintains its majority.

In the video Ali, a speaker and author who fled Somalia after being subjected to genital mutilation, said while declaring her support that “only John Cornyn has a proven record of stopping radical Islamic extremism.”

She continued, “I have seen first-hand what radical Islam does to women, families, and countries that ignore the warning signs. America is not immune, and neither is Texas, and that is why experience matters.”

It comes amid an already contentious Texas Senate primary race between Cornyn, who has held the seat since 2002, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. president Donald Trump He has not commented on the race, although he recently hinted that he might do so, saying: “My problem is that I’m friendly with all of them.”

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Left: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Center: Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas. Right: Rep. Wesley Hunt, Republican of Texas. (Official website of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton; Kevin Deitch/Getty; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Texas leaders recently sounded the alarm about the growth of Sharia law in the Lone Star State. Republican governor Greg Abbott He recently issued a declaration designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist organizations” and “transnational criminal organizations” under Texas law.

Ali stressed the importance of Cornyn’s experience in confronting Islamic Sharia laws, directing subtle criticism at Paxton and Hunt, who will serve as senators for their first term.

She said Cornyn “takes the threat seriously when others choose denial or political games.”

“If you want Texas to protect its people and stand up for its values, you need a leader who understands the danger and knows how to stop it,” she said.

“To keep Texas strong and safe from radical Islam, vote for John Cornyn.”

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Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali attends a presentation of the book “Reformiert Euch!” Warum der Islam like aendern muss – renew you! Why Islam Must Change” on April 20, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. ((Photo by Christian Marquardt/Getty Images))

In response, Cornyn told Fox News Digital: “I am honored to endorse Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has fearlessly spoken out about the dangers of radical Islam from her own experience.”

Cornyn’s office pointed to several actions he took as a senator to roll back Sharia law in the United States, including recently introducing the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, which the office said was intended to make clear that discrimination on the basis of Sharia law is a violation of civil rights law, co-sponsoring the No-Sharia Act, which it said would prohibit US courts from enforcing foreign laws or judgments that violate the Constitution and calling on the US Department of Justice to investigate “EPIC Ranches.” City” in Texas, a master-planned development that allegedly marketed itself as a Muslim-only community.

And in 2025, Cornyn too Legislation was introduced for divestiture Tax-exempt status for organizations that provide material support to designated terrorist groups, specifically targeting CAIR. He also co-sponsored the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which directs the Secretary of State to designate the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

“For many years now, I have worked to confront this extremist ideology, from working to ban Sharia law, to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting terrorist organizations, and calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the development of EPIC City,” Cornyn said. He added, “I will continue to protect the citizens of Texas from the threat of extremist Islamic ideology anywhere in our country.”

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People arrive at a mosque to attend Friday prayers, in Plano, Texas, on April 11, 2025. (Ronaldo Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Ali’s endorsement comes just over two weeks before Texas Republican Primary Day.

Cornyn, a ranking Republican in the Senate, also has the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as the National Border Patrol Board.

Meanwhile, Paxton, who has served as Texas’ top attorney since 2015, was… It was recently endorsed by Turning Point Actionthe political arm of the late Charlie Kirk’s “Turning Point USA” movement. Hunt, a US Army veteran, has been endorsed by Veterans for America First.

Both Paxton and Hunt also spoke out against Sharia law in Texas. Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking to shut them down and ban their operations in Texas. He filed a lawsuit against the developers behind EPIC as well, arguing that they violated Texas securities law by selling investment interests without proper registration and by failing to verify accredited investor status as required.

Hunt said Islamic law “is completely inconsistent with the founding principles of the United States of America” ​​and said it should have no place in the American legal or civil systems.

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) questions former Special Counsel Jack Smith as he testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. State Representative James Tallarico, a Democrat from Texas and a candidate for the US Senate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, US, on Saturday, January 11. 24, 2026. (Al Drago/Getty Images; Bob Demerich/Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

All three Republican candidates have touted their support for Trump and their records of supporting his agenda in their offices.

Trump recently told reporters that he may get involved in the primary race soon, saying, “I’m taking a very serious look at it.”

“You know, my problem is that I’m friends with all of them. I love them all, all three,” Trump said.

“But you’ll see soon,” he continued. “They say whoever I support wins. And that may be true.”

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Whichever Republican emerges victorious from the primary will face either the leading Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, or rising star progressive Rep. James Tallarico.

According to Paxton’s office, Ali will appear at a campaign roundtable with religious leaders in North Texas later this week.