DOJ Targets EPIC City With Housing Investigation
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There’s now a federal civil rights investigation underway into the master-planned EPIC City community in Collin County after months of controversy over whether the development intends to discriminate against non-Muslims.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) announced the existence of the probe on Friday, claiming he requested the investigation and got confirmation from the Department of Justice that it was being launched.
“Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no home in Texas,” Cornyn wrote. “Any violations of federal law must be swiftly prosecuted, and I know under @POTUS’ administration, they will be.”
Cornyn cited the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in his request for a federal investigation. The law prohibits discrimination in housing sales, rentals, and financing based on race, religion or national origin.
As previously reported by CandysDirt.com, EPIC City’s website originally contained language that some claim amounts to proof of the developer’s intention to discriminate against prospective homeowners:
“[W]e will limit sales to only persons we believe will contribute to the overall makeup of our community and are legally eligible to invest and buy property in the United States,” the controversial statement read.
It’s important to note, however, that the above statement followed an acknowledgement that non-citizens abroad might be interested in relocating to what’s being billed as a Muslim-centric community with more than 1,000 homes, a faith-based K-12 school, a mosque, apartments assisted living, a community college, retail, and sports fields near the city of Josephine.
Still, the project, which remains in the planning stages, has drawn opposition from individuals who suspect the developer plans on discriminating on the basis of religion. Other detractors are taking a different bent, claiming local officials should oppose the development because it will allegedly serve as a cover for the implementation of sharia law.
Attention on EPIC City only grew after state officials started denouncing it, such as Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who launched investigations of their own.
“Texas is investigating EPIC City for many allegations,” Abbott posted on social media. “I directed multiple state agencies to get to the bottom of it. The Texas Rangers also opened up a criminal investigation. Sharia law is not allowed in Texas.”
Members of the Muslim community in Collin County and supporters of the project have purportedly been receiving some hostility and even harassment, including the developer’s attorney, Dan Cogdell.
“The amount of backlash, hate mail. I mean, they posted my wife’s picture on X. They posted our home address,” Cogdell said in an interview with Spectrum News 1. “I get two or three death threats a day.”
Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the country’s biggest Muslim civil rights groups, said the moves made against EPIC City by officials in Texas constituted “zoning harassment, discriminatory enforcement, and politically motivated intimidation, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The project was launched by the East Plano Islamic Center through the entity Community Capital Partners, which previously said it will move forward and “follow all applicable rules, regulations, and laws and intends to develop an inclusive community that all citizens can be proud of.”
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It is somewhat ironic that critics would be upset because they think they would be excluded from a mostly Muslim community when they don’t want to be around Muslims in the first place. Here’s the newsflash. All Muslims are not orthodox in their beliefs anymore than Christians are all evangelical. This is all political theater.
Texas resources can be used for better purpose than this.