MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The Dallas - Fort Worth area is one of the country's fastest-growing large metro areas. That growth is fueled in part by suburban communities like McKinney, Plano and Frisco that include growing Asian and Muslim populations. Now, though, some residents say they are encountering unexpected hostility over their immigration status and their faith. Caroline Love from member station KERA in Dallas reports.
CAROLINE LOVE, BYLINE: Gule Jannat cooks enough chicken curry to feed her family for a couple of days while she's working her nursing shift at a local hospital.
GULE JANNAT: Let this saute for, like, one or two minutes.
LOVE: Her family is Muslim, so the chicken is halal. That means it's slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law. Jannat lives in Frisco with her husband, Ifte Islam, their two kids and the family cat, Tuna. She used to have to travel to other nearby cities to get halal meat and the spices she uses in her cooking. But now Frisco's local grocery stores have everything she needs.
JANNAT: The Kroger, the Tom Thumb, the H-E-B, they all have our type of food. So they are welcoming us. Like, they are encouraging us, yes, please come to Frisco, stay there.
LOVE: Jannat is originally from Bangladesh but has called Frisco home for almost a decade. The Texas suburb is about 30 miles north of Dallas. Frisco's Asian population has contributed to the city's massive growth, from being about 2% of the population in 2000 to close to 30% now. The once-small suburb has attracted high-end shopping, entertainment districts and corporations. The Dallas Cowboys and the Professional Golfers' Association of America relocated their headquarters here in the last 10 years, and the schools here are some of the best in the state.
IFTE ISLAM: We moved to Frisco because of the good school, the growth, the economic opportunity, the welcoming - warm welcome that we got from our neighbors.
LOVE: That's Jannat's husband, Ifte Islam. He says, historically, Frisco had embraced his family, but that appears to be changing. Islam says members of these communities feel singled out for their heritage, national origin and their faith. Frisco's city council has heard from residents who've accused the city's Indian community of visa fraud. Residents also spoke at another meeting against a new mosque plus a new Hindu temple and the city's first Jain temple being built. Hinduism and Jainism both originated in India.
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KAYLEE CAMPBELL: I have every right to say I'm proud of my country, and I don't want to see it turn into India or Islam.
LOVE: That's Kaylee Campbell. She's a conservative political commentator who's based in north Texas, who testified at a Frisco City Council meeting in May. North Texas Muslims are facing animosity from state and local leaders. Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have both launched investigations of a north Texas mosque called the East Plano Islamic Center. Islam, who got his doctorate at the University of Texas at Dallas, says he's never encountered such hostility in the city that he calls home.
ISLAM: Even my daughter asked me one day, how come someone say Islam is a terrorist religion?
LOVE: Rajendra Rani Chirumamilla, who has a doctorate in biology, says the sudden animosity in a city that had been so welcoming is surprising. She's originally from south India and has lived in Frisco for 15 years. Chirumamilla is concerned about her two sons. They're high school band students who were born and raised in north Texas.
RAJENDRA RANI CHIRUMAMILLA: All they have seen is, like, you know, here, and if they are having to face so much questions about their race or existence, it does hurt as a parent.
LOVE: Many Frisco residents say the hostilities some immigrant and Muslim neighbors are facing don't represent their values.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Singing in non-English language).
LOVE: In the early summer, people stood outside the Islamic Center of Frisco mosque for several Fridays in the Texas heat to show support after a divisive council meeting. Nadeem Zaman has been a member of the Islamic Center of Frisco since it had 50 members and met in a small building in downtown Frisco. Now the large mosque is packed on Fridays, the day of worship for Muslims. Zaman says the city needs additional mosques.
NADEEM ZAMAN: If there's going to be 15,000 Muslims coming for prayers and the capacity here is less than 5,000, it is very natural that we will need more properties.
LOVE: Supporters of the Hindu and Jain temples also say the extra space is needed. The pushback at the Frisco City Council meeting didn't stop the city from eventually approving the mosque and two temples for construction, and residents elected a new mayor in June who touted the city's diversity. The new mayor and his supporters say they'll join with their neighbors to keep Frisco a welcoming place.
For NPR News, I'm Caroline Love in Frisco.
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