At 11:04 p.m. on May 20, amid the Texas Funeral Service Commission鈥檚 probe into a North Texas mosque accused of operating as a funeral home without a license, the head commissioner of Texas鈥� funeral regulator Kristin Tips sent then-executive director Scott Bingaman a graphic a self-described pro-Israel 鈥渟urveillance network.鈥�
It compared the tenets of Judaism and Christianity to the rules of Islam and Muslim countries, without context: that the Quran states non-Muslims are 鈥渟ubhuman,鈥� and that touching the holy book as a non-Muslim, 鈥渃an mean death,鈥� according to text messages obtained by 四虎影院 and
With it, Tips shared a by YouTuber Tal Oran in which he criticized a clip from an unnamed podcast discussing EPIC City, the East Plano Islamic Center鈥檚 planned development in Collin County. Oran said the proposed community 鈥� which developers have said will not exclude non-Muslims 鈥� would breed 鈥渢errorists.鈥�
Gov. Greg Abbott had praised TFSC鈥檚 decision to investigate EPIC two months prior. It became one of five state investigations into the mosque, spurred by the negative attention the EPIC City plan attracted online earlier this year, primarily in right-wing circles.
All Texas Funeral Service Commission board members, including Tips, are Abbott appointees. Bingaman joined TFSC as executive director, the top staff position, in September.
鈥淣ot a fan鈥� tough to be tolerant when taught hate,鈥� Bingaman replied to the graphic and YouTube link.
鈥淎greed!鈥� Tips wrote back. 鈥淟ook what happened last Thursday at literally the 11th hour to appeal the Land takeover lol through Cemetery鈥�, seemingly referring to Tips and her husband Robert 鈥淒ick鈥� Tips supported that would no longer allow cemeteries to be established within city or county limits.
Earlier messages from Tips to Bingaman imply State Rep. Suleman Lalani, D-Sugar Land, informally voted against that bill. Lalani voted it out of committee, according to but it failed to pass in the last days of the legislative session.
Tips then shared an image of Lalani in the Capitol and a screenshot of Lalani鈥檚 Instagram post the day he took the oath of office in January, which he did with his hand on a Quran as opposed to Christian lawmakers鈥� usual choice of a Bible. Lalani became in Texas when he was elected in 2022.
Tips also shared a link to the of the Chad Prather Show, where the conservative political commentator questioned whether EPIC City and the Texas Legislature鈥檚 this year indicated a 鈥渟low and steady creep of cultural replacement鈥� pushing out Judeo-Christian roots. The messages show no response from Bingaman.
When 四虎影院 reached out to Tips for comment, she gave the phone to a person who said in Spanish that she was Tips鈥� daughter. Tips declined to comment, the person said. 四虎影院 also reached out to Lalani and Abbott鈥檚 office and will update this story with any response.
Anti-Muslim sentiment in Texas
EPIC sued the commission in early July to resume its funeral and burial services. The suit alleged TFSC had no grounds to investigate the mosque, and the commission was violating EPIC's religious rights.
Weeks later, TFSC walked back some of its claims but stated the investigation into EPIC is ongoing. A spokesperson for Abbott said at the time the governor鈥檚 office was unaware of the letter when 四虎影院 reached out for comment.
Bingaman, when reached for comment on this story, referred 四虎影院 to his attorney, who could not immediately be reached by phone Saturday.
The newly revealed texts come amid a growing climate of anti-Muslim sentiment in Texas. Most recently, the chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, Bo French, targeted Democratic state House Rep. Salman Bhojani, who represents parts of Arlington, Euless and Bedford.
In several posts on X, French called Bhojani an 鈥渁nti-American democrat鈥�, said he was trying to 鈥渇urther jihad,鈥� and called on federal officials to denaturalize and deport the lawmaker, who is originally from Pakistan 鈥� which French referred to in his posts as, 鈥渢he same place Osama Bin Laden hid鈥�.
French later asked his followers if the law should be changed to 鈥渇orbid foreign born people from holding any elected office.鈥�
Bhojani said he鈥檚 seen an uptick in openly anti-Muslim rhetoric since President Donald Trump made and during his first term. He鈥檚 not surprised about the texts between Tips and Bingaman, he said, but government officials need to be held accountable for their speech.
鈥淲hen you're in the government, whether you're elected or appointed, you should be held to a higher standard,鈥� Bhojani said in an interview with 四虎影院 Saturday. 鈥淵ou should be not insinuating this kind of hate amongst your peers and executive director.鈥�
French also reposted tweets from Amy Mek, founder of the conservative outlet Rise Align Ignite Reclaim foundation, which posts anti-Muslim content and .
Mek鈥檚 previous posts on EPIC City sparked backlash against the development. Mek accused EPIC of promoting Sharia law, while spouting negative rhetoric about Islam.
Following those posts and the ensuing controversy online, Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced state investigations into the project. Abbott referred to EPIC City as a 鈥渟haria city.鈥�
EPIC City is a planned 402-acre development in unincorporated Collin and Hunt counties that would be roughly 40 miles northeast of Dallas near the city of Josephine, and would include a new mosque, more than 1,000 single and multi-family homes, a K-12 faith-based school and other amenities.
In addition to the claims EPIC is operating as an unlicensed funeral home, Abbott and Paxton allege without evidence that the EPIC City project could discriminate against non-Muslims in violation of the Texas Fair Housing Act. They also claim the project could cause potential financial harm to investors and may be violating Texas consumer protection laws.
Abbott also launched a criminal investigation into the project. He and Paxton have provided little to no evidence of wrongdoing.
Bhojani called state officials鈥� approach to investigating EPIC discriminatory and unconstitutional.
鈥淭hroughout the state of Texas and throughout the country, there are so many developments that are led by Muslims and they're next to a mosque, and all they want to do is practice their faith in peace and just doing their American values, displaying that and just being contributing citizens of the United States,鈥� he said.
鈥楻ein her in鈥�
Bingaman worked with Tips in January to send the governor鈥檚 office a list of rules and regulations seen as harming small businesses in the funeral industry that the commission wanted to be repealed. TFSC wanted state lawmakers to overturn a Texas Supreme Court decision that allows relatives of the dead to recover damages for a funeral provider鈥檚 alleged mishandling of the body.
The ruling allowed for lawsuits that 鈥減lace unbearable financial strain on family-owned small businesses, driving insurance premiums and deductibles to unsustainable levels,鈥� Bingaman wrote. The provision appeared in the first version of Republican Sens. Tan Parker and Lois Kolkhorst鈥檚 , which ultimately didn鈥檛 pass.
In a letter to commissioners right before he was fired in June, Bingaman alleged that Tips failed to tell him that capping non-economic damages in funeral home lawsuits and other proposed measures would benefit her and her husband's own funeral business, Mission Park Funeral Chapels, Cemeteries, and Crematories. He raised concerns multiple times 鈥� including with the governor鈥檚 office 鈥� that Tips was unlawfully using TFSC staff and resources to advocate for bills in the Legislature that would benefit her, according to the lawsuit challenging his firing.
Bingaman鈥檚 messages to Tips, however, indicate some initial willingness to defend the cap on funeral home lawsuit damages. In an email the afternoon of May 5, San Antonio Express-News writer Patrick Danner asked TFSC why it was 鈥渁dvocating for caps on liability for funeral home blunders and how that squares with its mission of protecting the public,鈥� according to a copy of the email attached to Bingaman鈥檚 lawsuit.
Bingaman texted Tips letting her know Danner鈥檚 email required an urgent response before the publication of his story.
鈥淚 know the answer but hope you could add a little more detail other than protecting small mom and pop funeral homes that are being targeted by (personal) injury attorneys and frivolous lawsuits,鈥� Bingaman wrote.
Bingaman had voiced his worries about getting too involved with lobbyists to Tips before this, the texts show. Mike Toomey, a lobbyist representing the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association, reached out to Bingaman in March asking for the two of them and association president Scott Joslove to meet and discuss TFSC鈥檚 recently imposed moratorium on transferring cadavers and anatomical specimen out of state.
Bingaman felt there was something 鈥渟ubstantially wrong鈥� with this kind of meeting, he told Tips.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 enact policy. I only execute on it so I don鈥檛 know what good this will do for him to meet with me cause I鈥檓 just going to tell him no鈥�.
Attorney Christopher Burnett, who Bingaman hired in May, told 四虎影院 he and fellow staff attorney Sarah Sanders warned Bingaman it wasn鈥檛 right for a commissioner to use their position to lobby. Bingaman then brought the concerns about Tips鈥� behavior to Abbott鈥檚 budget and policy advisor Alex Aragon, Burnett said, and the response from the governor鈥檚 office was to 鈥渞ein her in.鈥�
鈥淚 heard it,鈥� Burnett said. 鈥溾�楻ein her in, you need to talk to her.鈥� So, the governor's office put the burden on Bingaman to try and stop Tips from doing all her nonsense, right? And so, Scott had a conversation with her, and apparently it did not go well.鈥�
Sanders said she witnessed this and personally spoke to the governor鈥檚 office about Tips, but staff began ignoring Bingaman鈥檚 calls. She called on Abbott to take action.
鈥淭he people suffering from this are the people of Texas,鈥� Sanders said. 鈥淏ecause every time you go into a funeral home and something goes wrong and you feel like something isn't done about it, it's because of this dysfunction.鈥�
In a meeting July 21, commissioners said they fired Bingaman for his "lack of candor" and poor communication and leadership. That same day, Burnett and Sanders were fired.
The lawyers said they weren鈥檛 given cause but alleged it was because of their backing of Bingaman's claims against the commission. TFSC sued the attorneys over their public accusations and for allegedly recording conversations among staff, but the commission dropped that suit less than a week later without prejudice, meaning it could be filed again.
This story has been updated with comments from State Rep. Salman Bhojani.
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org or Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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