Houston imam led protests against Muslim businesses selling products such as pork, alcohol

In September 2025, images circulated online allegedly showing Muslim leaders confronting store owners in Houston, and accusing them of selling pork, alcohol and gambling products – items that are "haram" (forbidden) in Islam.

Some posts, such as one on Facebook (archived), featured AI-generated images in which the subjects' hands appeared twisted and the lettering appeared garbled. These photos were entirely fake and unrelated to this fact check.

However, the claim did trace back to a real person, Imam Qasim Khan, who, beginning in May 2025, began a campaign in Houston to pressure Muslim businesses to stop selling haram products.

The imam's actions caught the attention of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (archived) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott – who posted on X, "No business & no individual should fear fools like this" (archived). One post on X (archived) about the topic received more than 7 million views, as of this writing.

While many people responding to the posts appeared to believe the imam was entering random businesses in Houston and attempting to impose Shariah — Islamic law — others pointed out that it appeared he was entering businesses that fellow Muslims operated.

The videos widely shared originated on the imam's TikTok account; some showed him entering establishments to warn the cashier that if the establishment didn't stop selling the haram products, members of the mosque would return to protest.

Other videos depicted these public displays, in which Khan and others held signs reading:

WE DO NOT SUPPORT HARAAM MERCHANTS WHO CLAIM TO BE MUSLIM BECAUSE ISLAM STRICTLY FORBID ALCOHOL, GAMBLING, & PORK.

and:

ALCOHOL, GAMBLING, & PORK ARE FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM. THE OWNERS IN THIS STORE CLAIM TO BE MUSLIM. THEY DO NOT LOVE YOU....THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY. THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY.

(TikTok user @imam.qasim.khan)

We reached out to both the imam's mosque, Masjid At-Tawhid, and the his TikTok account seeking comment or further context about the imam's campaign, but have not received an answer. We will update this story if we do.