Abbott Says Texas Has Halted Construction of Planned Muslim Community Amid State and Federal Investigations

A planned Muslim-centered city in north Texas is on hold amid multiple state and federal investigations. Governor Abbott posted on X that the state has “halted any” construction of the East Plano Islamic Center development.“There is no construction taking place. The state of Texas has launched about a half dozen investigations into this project. That includes criminal investigations,” Mr. Abbott wrote. “The US Department of Justice is also investigating.“This matter, and similar matters, are taken very seriously, and actions are being taken to address all concerns,” he said.The planned community, known as EPIC City, as proposed would be a 402-acre development about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. It would feature 1,000 single- and multi-family homes, senior housing, a K-12 faith-based school, sports facilities, commercial developments, and a mosque.Representatives for EPIC City did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. Republican lawmakers in Texas and Congress have raised the possibility that the planned community could discriminate against Jewish and Christian residents.In March, Mr. Abbott said “a dozen” state agencies were investigating the proposal and added that lawmakers are “considering laws to restrict it.” He has accused the planners of EPIC City of trying to impose Sharia law in the community.In April, Senator Cornyn — who is facing a primary challenge from the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, who is also investigating the proposal — called for the Department of Justice to investigate EPIC City.“A master-planned ‘community of thousands of Muslims’ could violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian Texans, by preventing them from living in this new community and discriminating against them within the community,” Mr. Cornyn said in a letter to Attorney General Bondi. He also said the DOJ should investigate to determine if “proponents of the proposed development are abiding by existing federal and state prohibitions on the enforcement of Sharia law.”On Friday, the Texas senator said he was “grateful” to the DOJ for “hearing my concerns and opening an investigation into the proposed EPIC City development.”A lawyer for EPIC City, Dan Cogdell, has denied that the city would exclude Christians or Jews. “All they want to do is to build a community that allows them to live together with people who value family and faith,” he told CBS News in April. Mr. Cogdell also said it is an “absolute lie” to suggest that anyone associated with EPIC City “follows Sharia law or is in favor of Sharia law.”In a post on Facebook, the page for EPIC City said that “state and federal law will be followed” in the proposed community and added, “The only people talking about isolation, exclusivity and ‘Sharia’ law are some of our elected officials, not us.”Supporters of the proposed community allege that state and federal officials are targeting it simply because it would be an Islam-centered development.Beside the mention of Sharia law and concerns that people of other faiths would be excluded, Mr. Abbott has suggested the community could be “misleading investors” who helped purchase the land. In a March press conference, he said the state was investigating the community to “ensure Texans are protected from financial harm that is alleged to have been caused by EPIC.” However, he did not elaborate on how investors may have been misled.

Abbott Says Texas Has Halted Construction of Planned Muslim Community Amid State and Federal Investigations

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