In recent years, school choice initiatives have gained momentum across Republican-led states, promising parents greater control over their children's education through vouchers that redirect public funds to private institutions. However, in Texas and Tennessee, these programs have sparked intense controversy by channeling taxpayer dollars to Islamic schools accused of promoting Sharia law, jihadist ideologies, and ties to Islamist organizations. This issue intersects with broader revelations about the Muslim Brotherhood's strategic infiltration of Western societies, as exposed in undercover investigations. Critics argue that such funding not only violates the separation of church and state but also inadvertently supports a "civilization jihad" aimed at undermining democratic values from within.
Tennessee's Education Freedom Scholarship Program, enacted in February 2025, exemplifies these concerns. The initiative, signed into law by Governor Bill Lee, allows K-12 students to use state funds—up to $7,295 per voucher—for tuition at registered private schools. In its inaugural year, the program awarded 20,000 vouchers, with 241 participating schools. Among them, five are Islamic institutions, including Pleasant View School in Memphis and Annoor Academy in Knoxville. These schools have drawn scrutiny for their curricula and activities that allegedly embrace conservative Islamic teachings, including Sharia compliance and advocacy for jihad.
At Pleasant View School, for instance, students are reportedly taught to adhere to Sharia principles, with social media posts highlighting events like "Muslim Day on the Hill," where over 40 pupils lobbied lawmakers for "justice" on behalf of Tennessee's Muslim community. The school's leaders have boasted about ensuring "our voices were heard at the highest levels of state government," framing the event as a demonstration of organized engagement.
Critics, including Tennessee Representative Jody Barrett, warned during legislative debates that the program lacked prohibitions on funding such schools. "Do you want your taxpayer dollars going to fund scholarships for kids to go to Islamic schools to learn Sharia law? That’s what’s happening in Tennessee," Barrett stated in a public video.
Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Gail Greene echoed these sentiments, expressing dismay that public money could support Islamic education amid the program's expansion.
The program's religious tilt is stark: 84% of approved schools in an earlier voucher iteration were religiously affiliated, predominantly Christian, but including Islamic and Jewish institutions.
Proponents argue that vouchers enhance educational freedom, but opponents highlight a lack of accountability. Private schools accepting vouchers aren't required to administer state standardized tests like the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, opting instead for national alternatives. This opacity raises questions about what students are truly learning, especially in Islamic settings where curricula may prioritize religious indoctrination over secular standards.
These Tennessee developments mirror a larger strategy outlined by the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 and recognized as a terrorist organization by at least Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Russia. Jordan also banned the Brotherhood last year. An undercover investigation by Israeli journalist Tsvi Yehezkeli, conducted between 2016 and 2017 across Europe and the United States, revealed the Brotherhood's "quiet jihad" plan to infiltrate Western institutions through non-violent means.
Posing as a Muslim, Yehezkeli accessed mosques, charities, and political groups linked to the Brotherhood, uncovering a blueprint for "civilization jihad"—a patient effort to subvert democracies by embedding Islamist ideologies in education, media, and governance.
The Brotherhood's 1991 "Explanatory Memorandum," uncovered during the Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing trial, explicitly details this goal: to "destroy Western civilization from within" through a network of front organizations.
Education plays a central role, with the group establishing schools to indoctrinate youth and build parallel societies. In Europe, Brotherhood entities have received millions in public funds, including €33 million to Islamic Relief and €288,000 to its youth arm, FEMYSO, which campaigns to "Islamize the West."
Yehezkeli's footage showed leaders discussing tactics like exploiting "Islamophobia" to silence critics and using migration (hijra) as a tool for expansion.
This infiltration extends to the U.S., where Brotherhood affiliates like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) operate. CAIR, designated a terrorist organization by the UAE and recently by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, has been accused of ties to Hamas.
In Texas, the newly launched $1 billion Education Freedom Accounts program—offering up to $10,000 per student—has already approved applications from over 600 private schools, many religious.
However, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock has sought Attorney General Ken Paxton's opinion on excluding schools linked to CAIR or foreign adversaries, citing "credible concerns" about hosted events and potential terrorist ties.
A bombshell revelation ties Texas vouchers directly to Brotherhood figures. Hamed Ghazali, named in the 1991 Memorandum as a key architect of U.S. networks, oversees schools like Iman Academy and Houston Quran Academy, which are poised to receive voucher funds.
Ghazali helped build recruitment and fundraising pipelines for Hamas and Al-Qaeda, including elevating operatives connected to Osama bin Laden. His institutions enforce Sharia-based education, pulling students from public systems into ideological enclaves. Texas's program, like Tennessee's, lacks robust oversight, allowing such schools to expand with state backing.
Critics, including Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute, decry forcing Christian taxpayers to subsidize Islamic indoctrination, calling it "unjust and dangerous."
In Tennessee, lawsuits challenge the program's constitutionality, arguing it diverts funds from public schools without adequate safeguards.
Similarly, in Texas, CAIR has sued over its terrorist designation, claiming it stifles civil rights education.
Yet, Brotherhood tactics—such as taqiyya (deception) and hudna (tactical truces)—are cited in investigations as methods to advance Sharia under the guise of multiculturalism.
The convergence of voucher programs and Brotherhood strategies poses a national security risk. Florida and Texas have designated the Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist entities, enabling asset freezes and audits.
In France, intelligence reports expose Brotherhood infrastructures spanning mosques and schools, mirroring U.S. patterns.
Yehezkeli's warnings, ignored for years, now resonate as Europe grapples with Islamist unrest.
To mitigate these threats, states must impose stricter eligibility criteria, mandating secular curricula and barring schools with foreign terrorist links. Without reform, voucher programs risk becoming conduits for radicalization, funding the very ideologies they should counter. As Barrett noted, the issue transcends education—it's about preserving American values against a covert conquest.
With applications surging in both states, the debate underscores a pivotal question: Can school choice coexist with safeguards against subversion, or will it accelerate the Brotherhood's long game?
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer.
For more on the growth of Islam in America see our interview with Pastor Shahram Hadian the founder of Truth in Love Ministry and Ep.351 Jody Barrett the conservative Republican on Education Committee is State Representative for Tennessee’s 69th House District.
