Teaxs Republican congressional candidate Valentina Gomez has triggered fresh outrage online after releasing a video on X where she is seen setting the Islamic holy book, the Quran, on fire. The video was captioned, “I will end Islam in Texas so help me God”, quickly went viral, drawing widespread condemnation from Muslim advocacy groups, political leaders and users online. This is not the first time Gomez has courted controversy. In May 2025, she stormed the stage at a Muslim civic engagement event at the Texas State Capitol, snatching the microphone and launching into an anti-Islam tirade. Footage shared online showed her declaring, “Islam has no place in Texas. Help me to Congress so we can end the Islamisation of America. I only fear God.” The event, known as Texas Muslim Capitol Day, included prayers, training sessions and meetings with lawmakers. Her actions drew sharp criticism from civil rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which denounced her rhetoric as dangerous and called for accountability while stressing the importance of protecting religious liberty. The Quran-burning episode adds to a string of provocative stunts. In December 2024, Gomez released a campaign video depicting the mock execution of a hooded immigrant, calling for “public executions” of undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes. Social media platforms restricted the footage for violating rules on violent content. Earlier this year, she filmed herself burning LGBTQ+ literature, vowing to ban such material if elected, while also targeting transgender communities in her remarks.Who is Valentina Gomez? Born in Medellín, Colombia, on May 8, 1999, Gomez moved to the US with her family in 2009, settling in Jersey City, New Jersey. She initially worked as a real estate investor before entering politics. In 2024, she ran unsuccessfully for Missouri Secretary of State, finishing sixth in the Republican primary with just 7.4% of the vote. Despite repeated electoral failures and multiple social media bans for violating platform rules, Gomez has continued to build her profile online with incendiary content, positioning herself as a far-right figure unafraid of controversy.
