Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico visited a mosque in “solidarity” with Muslims just days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a resurfaced interview.
Talarico recalled the episode in a January interview with Texas Monthly. His mother, described as politically active and a loyal Democrat, brought Talarico, his sister and two friends to a local mosque during the weekend following the attacks.
The visit came days after terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes on September 11, 2001, killing 2,977 victims in attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93. Talarico was 13 at the time.
Islam and Talarico’s Christianity
In one resurfaced 2021 interview, Talarico described himself as “a Christian who hates Christianity,” before explaining that he continued to be drawn back to Christianity by the "teachings of Jesus."
WATCH: Talarico describes himself as a Christian who hates Christianity in interview
He continued by saying that “nowhere else, in no other political philosophy and no other economic theory” had he found anything as “truly radical or revolutionary” as the teachings of Jesus.
Talarico has likewise spoken openly about the influence that Islamic thinkers have had on his own understanding of religion.
“I’ve learned as much about my faith from Salman’s tradition, from the Islamic mystics, from poets like Rumi, as much as I have from Christian authors and Christian writers,” Talarico said.
Talarico has elsewhere quoted Rumi and spoken about Judaism, Christianity and Islam as related religious traditions. He has also said he encountered Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, atheists and agnostics whom he considers more “Christ-like” than some Christians.
Talarico’s Church Has Hosted Muslim Events
That view is reflected at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, where Talarico worships.
According to the material reviewed, the church has worked with the Council on American-Islamic Relations and hosted annual iftar dinners during Ramadan.
The newly resurfaced account suggests that those instincts date back much further than his political career, going back to his early adolescence.
