Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing a Muslim university, alleging the Dallas-area school is misrepresenting itself as a university, offering degrees it is not authorized to grant, and misleading prospective students about its legitimacy.
In the May 18 lawsuit filed in Collin County District Court, Paxton asked for a temporary restraining order and an injunction to stop Texas American Muslim University (TexAM) from operating. Additionally, the state is suing for more than $1 million in civil penalties for violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Education Code.
“TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy,” Paxton said in a statement. “My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas.”
According to the lawsuit, the university was not authorized to operate a private postsecondary institution in Texas. It advertised bachelor’s and master’s programs, operated a student campus in Richardson, Texas, and solicited students online and overseas.
The lawsuit alleged that the school’s use of the TexAM brand was “confusingly similar” to Texas A&M University. Also, the entity’s nonprofit corporate charter was allegedly forfeited in February 2026 and began operating as a general partnership.
On May 7, Gov. Greg Abbott directed his state’s higher education coordinating board to issue a cease-and-desist order against the entity, which he said lacked credentials and the authority to provide academic instruction or award degrees.
“Texas will not allow illegal educational institutions to operate in our state,” Abbott said in a social media post on X.
The May 6 cease-and-desist letter issued by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board stated that TexAM wasn’t complying with the law and was subject to civil penalties.
The letter set a May 8, 2026, deadline to sign and return an attached agreement, “confirming that you have voluntarily, permanently, and immediately ceased advertising, offering, and enrolling students in degrees or programs in Texas and using protected terms.”
When contacted by phone, Shahid Bajwa, who was listed as the school’s CEO and “Lead Dreamer,” told The Epoch Times the school complied with the Texas coordinating board’s order.
He said the school stopped identifying itself as a university and no longer offers degree programs, adding the deadline to comply was extended to May 11.
“I mean, they did exactly what they required,” he said of the school.
Bajwa said he had not received any notice about the lawsuit.
It’s unclear when the school’s website was shut down, but it was no longer operational as of May 18.
TexAM has described itself as “the first university in the United States to offer STEM degree programs embedded with mandatory courses in Islamic Studies.”
“The university provides specialized programs that integrate modern technology with Islamic principles, empowering students with skills in digital innovation while upholding Islamic values,” TexAM stated. “Our graduates are prepared to excel in diverse fields such as Islamic finance, digital services, and religious education in today’s technology-driven world.”
The school is located in an office building in Richardson, which it shares with a mosque, the Islamic Seminary of America, a health center, a kitchen-and-bath store, and other businesses.
