Texas attorney general accuses Islamic school of operating unauthorized university

MCKINNEY, Texas (CN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday accusing an Islamic university of operating without the state’s authorization.

In a complaint filed in Collin County District Court, Paxton says Texas American Muslim University at Dallas, or TexAM, and several individuals affiliated with it have violated the Texas Education Code and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by describing TexAM as a university and advertising that it offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The institution lacks the required certificate of authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to operate a private postsecondary educational institution, Paxton claims.

“TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas.”

TexAM was the target of a cease-and-desist letter earlier this month by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In a post on the social media platform X, Governor Greg Abbott called the school “an unauthorized Islamic educational institution operating illegally in Texas.”

Paxton’s lawsuit also accuses TexAM of using names and branding that are confusingly similar to Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University System in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. On May 8, the Texas A&M University System announced it had issued a cease-and-desist letter to TexAM, claiming the use of names like “TexAM” and “Texas AM University” violates its trademarks.

“Texas A&M is a renowned school accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, offers more than 140 undergraduate degree programs and 270 graduate and professional degree programs, and is ranked as #51 in National Universities and #21 in Top Public Schools by U.S. News & World Report,” Paxton writes in his complaint.

“In contrast to this, TexAM is not accredited, offers less than ten degree plans, and is not nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report,” Paxton added. “By choosing to conduct business as ‘TexAM,’ defendants chose to use a name that is substantially similar to the names under which the Texas A&M University System and Texas A&M University operate, and benefit off their notoriety.”

Paxton’s lawsuit seeks temporary and permanent injunctions against TexAM, as well as over $1 million in civil penalties.

TexAM did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. According to Paxton’s complaint, the school has a business headquarters in Fairview, Texas, and a campus in Richardson, Texas, and also solicits overseas and online students.

The school’s website is currently not operational, but an archived version describes TexAM as “the first university in the United States to offer STEM degree programs embedded with mandatory courses in Islamic Studies” and lists courses like “Sufism in Islam,” “Islamic Economics” and “Islamic Ethics in AI.”