A Republican county official in Texas has survived a vote to oust him after several local party members took issue with his Muslim religion.
The motion to remove Shahid Shafi from his position as vice chairman of the Tarrant County Republican party failed by a vote of 139-49 on Thursday night.
The effort was led by several county Republicans who argued that Dr Shafi was more loyal to Islam than the US.
The movement led to criticism from prominent state Republican officials.
Speaking to reporters after the vote at a church in Fort Worth, Dr Shafi said: "As an immigrant to this great country, I am honoured and privileged to receive the support of my fellow Republicans."
"We were fighting for religious freedom - a founding principle of our nation. And today, we have come out victorious," he declared.
In addition to serving as the Republican vice chairman of Tarrant County - the third largest county in Texas - Dr Shafi is a surgeon and Southlake City Councilman who immigrated to the US nearly 30 years ago.
He reportedly is originally from India, and became a US citizen in 2009.