James Talarico, a Democrat running for Senate in Texas, recently received a $3,000 donation from Nouman Ali Khan, a prominent Muslim figure who’s facing serious allegations of inappropriate conduct. Khan has been accused of grooming female fans for fake marriages and has controversially suggested that, under specific conditions, Allah might “allow” husbands to physically discipline their wives.
Khan, who founded the Bayyinah Institute—a well-known Islamic studies organization—contributed three checks of $1,000 each, according to Federal Election Commission records. The latest donation was made on October 19, coinciding with the opening of early voting. This came just a day after Talarico engaged with Muslim voters at a halal barbecue event in Irving.
Interestingly, Khan wasn’t present at the barbecue, as noted by a Talarico campaign spokesperson.
The reputation of this Quran teacher plummeted in 2017 when several women accused him of exploiting his status to create relationships that often ended in hastily arranged religious marriages, which they claimed were merely covers for sexual encounters. They also alleged that he pressured them to remain silent about these experiences.
A panel of four Muslim scholars found that Khan often responded to complaints with attempts to buy silence or threats. Reports indicated one woman received a near $7,000 bank transfer, which was perceived as hush money. Another group of six clerics evaluated his actions and stated that his conduct was “unbecoming of any believer,” particularly for someone tasked with teaching about the Holy Qur’an.
Khan has denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer, who labeled the accusations as “unfounded.” Curiously, just two years before these claims surfaced, he gave a lecture titled “Hitting Women – That’s Messed Up,” which began by denouncing Muslim men who misuse scripture to justify domestic violence. However, about ten minutes in, he seemed to find a theological loophole regarding situations where a husband catches his wife with another man, suggesting that such a scenario could grant limited justification for physical discipline.
Khan suggested that this ‘exception’ only pertains to “repeated” infidelity from a wife, and even then, he advised keeping it to a light “tap” or something similar.
In that lecture, he also discussed a controversial scenario in the Quran about a man who may marry one or more of the orphaned girls he raises once they reach a certain age. While he admitted this situation isn’t common, he maintained that it’s permissible.
The Talarico campaign has emphasized that they did not seek out Khan’s financial support. Spokesman JT Ennis stated, “Our campaign did not solicit a contribution from this individual and condemns violent rhetoric in all its forms. This individual is one of more than 1.6 million contributors and does not speak for our campaign.”
Khan hasn’t provided any comments on the matter.
These donations emerge as Talarico finds himself in a tight race against Republican Ken Paxton, with key elections approaching soon.
