Texas City Under Fire For ‘Muslim-Only’ Event
A city-owned water park near Dallas is facing national outrage after they hosted a “Muslim-only” event. Epic Waters in Grand Prairie first advertised the gathering as a “Muslim only event,” then scrubbed to say “all are welcome” after outrage from Texans, conservative commentators and Gov. Greg Abbott.
The June 1 DFW Epic Eid event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark originally featured a modest dress code, halal food, a private prayer room, and language saying attendance was for Muslims only. GB News reported that Epic Waters is an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park opened in 2017 and funded through tax dollars.
But critics zeroed in on one question: how can a taxpayer-backed facility appear to shut out residents based on religion?
Conservative pundit Todd Starnes pointed out that the water park has never posted eventts exclusively for Christians or Jews.
“If you don’t allow other religious groups to host exclusive events then you can’t allow the Muslims to do s,” Starnes said. “But why are we excluding any citizens from a taxpayer-funded facility? The looming question Texans must face is how long they are going to stand on the sidelines while the Islamists take over their state.”
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Abbott escalated the fight Wednesday, threatening Grand Prairie with the loss of $530,000 in state grants if officials fail to cancel the event and pledge that a similar arrangement will not happen again.
“That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional,” Abbott wrote. His warning was blunt: “Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans.”
The controversy put Grand Prairie officials on defense. The city said it was “aware of concerns” and had contacted Epic Waters management to make sure policies were followed. In a statement, the city stressed that Epic Waters is owned by Grand Prairie, run by a third-party operator, and “available for rental by individuals and organizations.”
Organizers, meanwhile, say the online firestorm distorted what was meant to be a private, modesty-focused celebration of Eid al-Adha, not an attempt to create a religious barrier at a public facility.
Dr. Aminah Knight, organizer of DFW Epic Eid, told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, “It’s just a private party, you know.” She said she changed the wording after backlash and added, “So, it doesn’t say Muslims only.”
The event website now describes the gathering as privately organized and privately funded through a standard rental. Knight wrote that the updated materials make clear it is a “modest dress-only event” and told non-Muslim friends willing to follow the dress code, “this event is FOR YOU TOO!” The site also lists halal meals and a private prayer room.
Still, the shift has not cooled critics who argue the original flyer revealed the real problem: a city asset, supported by taxpayers of every faith and no faith, was being used for an event promoted as religiously exclusive.
A number of lawmakers warned this was yet another example of the rise of Islam in Texas.
“We will not be bullied into accepting the erosion of our communities, our values, and our Constitution,” Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) wrote on X. “Taxpayer-funded facilities should never be used to accommodate Sharia practices. Don’t mess with Texas. Wake up before it’s too late.”
The fight now lands squarely on Grand Prairie leaders, who must decide whether the revised “all are welcome” wording satisfies anti-discrimination concerns — or whether Abbott’s grant threat forces the city to pull the plug entirely.
“Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans,” the governor wrote on X.
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