Thursday, February 5, 2026
ADVT 
International

Vote To Oust India-Born Republican Leader Because ‘He Is Muslim’ Rejected

Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Jan, 2019 09:55 PM

    Shaid Shafi, an India-born Republican facing removal as Texas county leader for "being a Muslim", will remain in office as his party officials slapped down a motion to oust him from the post of vice-chairman.


    The Tarrant County Republican Party rejected the motion to strip Mr Shafi, a trauma surgeon and member of the Southlake City Council, at a contentious meeting on Thursday.


    The committee voted 139-49 in favour of Mr Shafi, with 10 abstentions, Washington-based news website The Daily Caller reported.


    "This vote reaffirms the commitment by a majority of Tarrant County Republicans to our core values and moral compass, a demonstration of our allegiance to the Texas Republican Party Platform and the Constitutions of the United States and Texas, which strictly prohibit religious and racial discrimination of any kind," Tarrant County Party Chairman Darl Easton said.


    Mr Shafi said he was "honoured and privileged to receive the support of my fellow Republicans" and emphasised that he held no ill will towards those who voted against him.


    A small but vocal minority of the county's 269 precinct chairs was behind the push to remove Mr Shafi from his leadership position.


    He received an outpouring of support from Republicans across the state, including from Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Land Commissioner George P Bush, leading up to the vote.


    Mr Shafi, born in India and raised in Pakistan, travelled to the US to study medicine. He became a naturalised citizen in 2009 and, since then, has been involved with the Republican Party.


    "Religious litmus tests are wrong, whether they occur in my party or whether its Democratic Senators who have questioned Catholic judges'' ability to be unbiased. What matters is a person''s character, judgment and values. Shahid Shafi has all three," Mr Bush said on Twitter.


    Mr Shafi was appointed to the position in July with overwhelming support from Republicans in Tarrant County, which is Texas' third-largest county in terms of population.


    A sole precinct chair Dorrie O' Brien opposed Mr Shafi at that time and tried to whip up opposition for him in the six months since then.


    She cited the Muslim doctor's faith as her reason for opposing him in a Facebook post last month.


    "We don't think he's suitable as a practising Muslim to be vice-chair because he'd be the representative for ALL Republicans in Tarrant County, and not ALL Republicans in Tarrant County think Islam is safe or acceptable in the US, in Tarrant County, and in the TCGOP, and there are big questions surrounding exactly where Shafi's loyalties lie vis a vis Democrat and Republican policies," she wrote.


    In a January 4 Facebook post, she falsely accused Mr Shafi of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.


    Another precinct chair James Scott Trimm on Tuesday wrote on Facebook he would vote against Mr Shafi because he "refused to renounce and repudiate" an endorsement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Mr Shafi has denied any ties to CAIR.


    In an open letter, he wrote that he believed "much of the hate against Muslims is driven by a fear of terrorism."

     

    "Here are the facts. I have never had any association with the Muslim Brotherhood nor (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) nor any terrorist organisation," he wrote.

     

    "I believe that the laws of our nation are our Constitution and the laws passed by our elected legislatures I have never promoted any form of Sharia Law. I fully support and believe in American Laws for American Courts. I am honoured to be an American and a Republican," he was quoted as saying by The Texas Tribune.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen in Fortune Business Person of the Year list

    Indian-American Shantanu Narayen, the CEO of Adobe, has been named by Fortune in its 2018 Business Person of the Year list, which ranks 20 business executives “delivering on the bottom line and beyond”.

    Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen in Fortune Business Person of the Year list

    Kailash Satyarthi Meets Pope, Seeks Help For Law Against Child Sex Abuse

    The Pope has appointed an officer from the Vatican to coordinate with Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation to combat the menace, he said.

    Kailash Satyarthi Meets Pope, Seeks Help For Law Against Child Sex Abuse

    A Leader Who Doesn’t Take Timely U-Turns Is Not A Real Leader: PM Imran Khan

    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said a leader who does not take timely “U-turns” is not a “real leader”.

    A Leader Who Doesn’t Take Timely U-Turns Is Not A Real Leader: PM Imran Khan

    British-Pakistani Men Get 101 Years In Jail For Sexually Abusing Girls In UK

    The offences relate to the abuse of five girls, one as young as 13, who were passed around to be sexually abused by multiple offenders.

    British-Pakistani Men Get 101 Years In Jail For Sexually Abusing Girls In UK

    Nearly 2 lakh Indians studied in US in 2017-18

    Nearly 2 lakh Indians studied in US in 2017-18
    India is the second largest international reservoir for the US higher education institutions having sent 196,271 students here in the last academic year, according to latest data.

    Nearly 2 lakh Indians studied in US in 2017-18

    Indian-Origin Minister Shailesh Vara Leads Resignations In Fresh Brexit Jolt For PM May

    Indian-Origin Minister Shailesh Vara Leads Resignations In Fresh Brexit Jolt For PM May
    Shailesh Vara and two other ministers resigned today from her divided Cabinet over UK's "half-baked" divorce deal with the European Union.

    Indian-Origin Minister Shailesh Vara Leads Resignations In Fresh Brexit Jolt For PM May