A Texas high school student who drew national attention earlier this year after confronting an Islamic outreach group on his school campus told members of Congress last week that he has since received death threats for speaking out publicly.
Marco Hunter-Lopez, a 16-year-old student at Wylie East High School and president of the school’s Republican Club, testified May 13 before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government during a hearing titled “Sharia-Free America.” The hearing was organized by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who invited Hunter-Lopez to speak about an incident that took place at his school in February.
According to Hunter-Lopez, four adult women affiliated with the organization “Why Islam?” were allowed onto campus and distributed hijabs, copies of the Quran, and pamphlets about Sharia law to students during the school day. Videos he posted online documenting the event quickly spread across social media and sparked heated debate about religion, public schools, and free speech.
16-year-old Marco Hunter-Lopez testified that his Collin County, Texas school offers a Quran in their library but not a Bible. pic.twitter.com/ue9imuCfDU
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) May 18, 2026
During his testimony before Congress, Hunter-Lopez said the backlash became personal soon afterward.
“I had people saying that they were going to be at my house waiting for me to get home and they were going to shoot me,” he told lawmakers. “I had people telling me to kill myself.”
Despite that, the teenager said his Christian faith helped him remain confident while dealing with criticism and threats. He told the panel that he believed no one could “proclaim anything” over him because he wakes up “with victory with Christ.”
Hunter-Lopez also argued during the hearing that Sharia law is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution and American values. He claimed that distributing materials that portray Sharia positively to minors during the school day amounts to ideological promotion rather than neutral education.
The hearing also produced a tense exchange between Hunter-Lopez and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who questioned whether the United States needed laws specifically targeting certain religious groups instead of applying secular law equally to everyone.
When asked directly by Raskin about America’s legal foundations, Hunter-Lopez pushed back by pointing to the country’s Christian roots and the religious beliefs of many of the Founding Fathers. Clips of the exchange circulated widely online afterward, with many conservatives praising the student for standing his ground under questioning.
Hunter-Lopez later told Fox News Digital that he felt Raskin repeatedly interrupted him before he could fully explain his position.
“I believe that he thinks that he was going to catch me off guard,” Hunter-Lopez said. “But it didn’t. I took the fight.”
The student also testified about what he described as unequal treatment toward the Republican Club at Wylie East High School. According to Hunter-Lopez, administrators initially resisted approving the organization because it was considered too political, while other groups were treated differently. He claimed posters promoting the club were targeted, and policies were selectively enforced.
Wylie Independent School District strongly denied allegations of viewpoint discrimination. In a statement, district officials said the school does not endorse or promote any religion and remains legally obligated to stay neutral while respecting students’ constitutional rights.
The district acknowledged there had been procedural failures surrounding the February incident, particularly involving visitor verification procedures. Officials said the outside Islamic group would not have been permitted on campus had the proper approval process been followed.
“Following the incident, the district reinforced expectations with campuses and updated club and visitor procedures to help ensure a situation like this does not happen again,” a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers involved in the hearing argued the issue reflects broader concerns about the influence of political Islam in the United States. Roy and Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, launched the “Sharia Free America Caucus” last year and have increasingly focused on the issue in recent months.
🚨 JUST IN: 16-year-old patriot, Marco Hunter-Lopez, who EXPOSED to Congress his Texas school REFUSED to offer the Bible, explains his faith and TAKEDOWN of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D).
HUNTER-LOPEZ: “I was just trying to explain to him that America was founded on Christian values, on… pic.twitter.com/u3dq1b0aWK
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) May 14, 2026
Self disputed the district’s explanation, claiming the event was not simply a procedural mistake. Roy also praised Hunter-Lopez for speaking publicly about the controversy, calling the student brave for sharing his experience.
