OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:40 PM – Friday, April 18, 2025
A new development project for a Muslim community in Texas, which advertises bringing “Islam to the forefront,” has drawn heavy criticism from Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott, who has since declared that “Sharia law is not allowed in Texas.”
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The organization behind the project, the East Plano Islamic Center, has dubbed the project “EPIC City,” and it plans to build on a 402-acre site.
The development would include a “Mosque, a faith school, a community college, and multiple sports facilities” in Collin and Hunt counties. The project would also include the construction of 1,000 homes, parks, and other amenities — all meant for Muslim residents.
Nonetheless, after the news of the development was released, Governor Abbott (R-Texas) vowed that the project will “never see the light of day,” noting that the “EPIC compound in Collin Co. has serious legal issues.”
“A dozen state agencies are investigating it, the Attorney General will look into it, and legislators are considering laws to restrict it, as well as laws to prevent foreign adversaries from buying land in Texas,” he wrote in an X post last month.
“To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are ‘no go zones’ which this project seems to imply,” Abbott added.
A promotional video about the community project states: “EPIC City is more than a neighborhood. It’s a way of life, a meticulously designed community that brings Islam to the forefront.”
“EPIC City is going to be a role model community of thousands of Muslims living well-integrated,” added East Plano Islamic Center scholar Yasir Qadhi. “We are not forming a cult. We’re not forming big barriers between the rest of society. We’re going to be giving back to this state and this country, and we’re going to be showing what it means to be a Muslim neighborhood.”
Although construction on the project has not yet commenced, EPIC already supports a substantial Muslim community in the area and operates a prominent mosque in Plano, Texas, with the capacity to accommodate 3,200 worshippers.
Meanwhile, Imam Nadim Bashir, a “Florida and Texas native” leading the EPIC mosque, claimed that Abbott is creating “unnecessary fear,” as the community allegedly has no plans of imposing Sharia law.
“Why is he making up things which we have never, ever said? We will always work within the laws of the United States and the State of Texas,” he stated.
“It’s a personal moral code of life, that’s all it is,” Bashir continued. “Standing up for people, serving people, taking care of your family, being honest, this is all part of Shariah.”
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