AUSTIN – The person who took a Qur’an from the public chapel in the Texas Capitol has been identified and is cooperating with the Texas Department of Public Safety, a spokesman for the state police agency said Saturday.

The Qur’an was donated to the chapel by State Rep. Salman Bhojani of Euless, one of the first Muslims in the House of Representatives, on March 22 as Muslims were starting their observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.  It was discovered missing, then recovered, within the next two weeks.

Sgt. Victor Taylor, DPS spokesman at the state Capitol, told the Fort Worth Report that the person who took Bhojani’s family Qur’an from the secluded fourth-floor chapel has been identified and “is cooperating with DPS officials” but said no further information is available.  The case is still under investigation, he said, and it is “unknown at this time” if any charges will be filed.  

The Bhojani family Qur’an that was briefly in the chapel has been replaced by a Qur’an provided by the State Preservation Board, which oversees the Capitol.  The Qur’an, a Holy bible and a Prayer Book sit atop a wooden table wooden table adorned with a vase of plants.

“I am pleased and relieved that my family Qur’an has been returned and there is a Qur’an available for use again in the Capitol Chapel,” the 43-year-old attorney and former Euless City Council member said in a statement when the text was recovered.  “The Chapel is a safe space for all Texans to practice their faith traditions and I’m honored that our Muslim brothers and sisters have a place to pray and reflect, especially during this holy month of Ramadan.”

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Qur’an donated by Euless state rep taken from Capitol’s chapel, then recovered, but questions remain

When an immigrant rights group discovered there wasn’t a Qur’an in the tiny public chapel on the fourth floor of the Texas Capitol, they sought help from one of the two Muslim members in the House of Representatives. Rep. Salman Bhojani of Euless was quick to assist, donating his family Qur’an to the chapel on…

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Police ID person who took Bhojani’s family Qur’an

by David Montgomery, Fort Worth Report
April 9, 2023

<h1>Police ID person who took Bhojani’s family Qur’an</h1> <p class="byline">by David Montgomery, Fort Worth Report <br />April 9, 2023</p> <p>AUSTIN – The person who took a Qur’an from the public chapel in the Texas Capitol has been identified and is cooperating with the Texas Department of Public Safety, a spokesman for the state police agency said Saturday.</p> <p>The Qur’an was donated to the chapel by State Rep. Salman Bhojani of Euless, one of the first Muslims in the House of Representatives, on March 22 as Muslims were starting their observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.&nbsp; It was discovered missing, then recovered, within the next two weeks.</p> <p>Sgt. Victor Taylor, DPS spokesman at the state Capitol, told the Fort Worth Report that the person who took Bhojani’s family Qur’an from the secluded fourth-floor chapel has been identified and “is cooperating with DPS officials” but said no further information is available.&nbsp; The case is still under investigation, he said, and it is “unknown at this time” if any charges will be filed. &nbsp;</p> <p>The Bhojani family Qur’an that was briefly in the chapel has been replaced by a Qur’an provided by the State Preservation Board, which oversees the Capitol.  The Qur’an, a Holy bible and a Prayer Book sit atop a wooden table wooden table adorned with a vase of plants.</p> <p>“I am pleased and relieved that my family Qur’an has been returned and there is a Qur’an available for use again in the Capitol Chapel,” the 43-year-old attorney and former Euless City Council member said in a statement when the text was recovered.  “The Chapel is a safe space for all Texans to practice their faith traditions and I’m honored that our Muslim brothers and sisters have a place to pray and reflect, especially during this holy month of Ramadan.”</p> <div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background"> </div> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org/2023/04/09/police-id-person-who-took-bhojanis-family-quran/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org">Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=73062" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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