As Islamophobia ramps up in US midterms, Texas Muslims eye local stakes

Houston, Texas – The final stretch of the United States midterm elections has been shrouded in growing Islamophobia , centred most prominently on Muslim candidates, such as Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed. This climate of prejudice may be presenting as a national issue, but it has been years in the making in Texas, where state politicians have pushed rhetoric and policies that Muslim voters say stigmatise their very existence. Even without a Muslim candidate on a statewide ballot, the election’s stakes, Muslim voters said, are extremely local.