There is much consternation in north Texas as citizens continue to voice their concerns about a planned Muslim-centric community known as EPIC City. As reported by AFN, critics say the words and actions of those behind the project aren't matching up. Everything about the project, they warn, points to Sharia law – which Texas Governor Greg Abbott has made clear is not allowed in the state.
The compound would be located on currently empty farmland 25 miles east of the East Plano Islamic Center, which is developing the massive 402-acre project along with Community Capital Partners. Abbott and his attorney general, Ken Paxton, have already announced several probes into the activities of EPIC and CCP – and the developers have hired a high-profile defense attorney to represent them against the investigations.
AFN talked with Brigitte Gabriel, founder and chairman of ACT for America, who suggests the concerns being expressed are on solid ground.
"If we have any projection as to how it may look like, all you have to do is look at Europe, look at Britain, look at France and see the Islamic enclaves and communities that were created in those countries," she argued.
Current laws, Gabriel said, favor the critics. "We just need elected officials with the backbone to stand up and implement them," she offered. "We want to make sure that any community in the United States is a community that will be operating and abiding by the laws of the state and the laws of the nation."
Gabriel urged residents of Texas to let their elected officials hear their concerns.
"What's happening in Texas is not going to stop in Texas," she warned. "The Islamic community in the United States is watching what's transpiring in Texas right now – and if this project will move forward to completion, you're going to see projects like this popping up all over the United States."
Perhaps in response to his constituents in the Lone Star State, GOP Sen. John Cornyn has also asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate potential "religious discrimination" at EPIC City. In a letter to the DOJ, Cornyn accuses the East Plano Islamic Center of violating constitutional rights by preventing Jewish and Christian residents from living in the planned community.
According to KERA News, the U.S. senator is also asking the DOJ to investigate possible supporters of Sharia law in EPIC City. Sharia law is an Islamic legal system based on the Qur'an and the teachings of Muhammad, Islam's prophet.
Senator Cornyn faces a GOP primary challenge from Attorney General Paxton in 2026.
