Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is threatening to revoke more than $530,000 in state grant funding from the City of Grand Prairie unless officials cancel a controversial “Muslims only” event planned at a city-owned waterpark.
The controversy centers on “DFW Epic Eid,” a private event scheduled for June 1 at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie.
Promotional material for the event originally described it as a “MUSLIM ONLY EVENT,” “FOR MUSLIMS ONLY,” and “CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC – MUSLIMS ONLY,” sparking backlash online after the story was highlighted by BlazeTV and Texas Scorecard personality Sara Gonzales.
In a May 6 letter first obtained by Gonzales, the Governor’s Public Safety Office told Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen the event appeared to violate constitutional protections against religious discrimination.
“The event purports to be public facing and discriminatory at the same time: All Muslims—but only Muslims—may attend,” wrote Andrew Friedrichs, executive director of the Public Safety Office.
The letter notes that Epic Waters is owned by the City of Grand Prairie and operated on the city’s behalf by a private management company.
According to the governor’s office, organizers later altered the event’s promotional language after public scrutiny. Updated material replaced “Muslim only” wording with “all are welcome” while maintaining a “modest dress only” policy.
But the state argues the underlying event still appears religiously exclusive.
“The organizer’s website makes matters clearer, stating that ‘[t]his event is closed to the general public’ and ‘at all times’ attendees must ‘dress in accordance with Islamic values,’” the letter states. “If there were any doubt remaining, the website dispels it: ‘The entire waterpark has been exclusively reserved for Muslims.’”
The governor’s office cited Supreme Court precedent involving racial discrimination at public facilities, arguing government entities cannot use private organizations as a “subterfuge” to foster unlawful discrimination.
Abbott amplified the issue Wednesday on X, writing that the event constituted “religious discrimination” and warning Grand Prairie that it must cancel the event or risk losing state funding.
“Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans,” Abbott wrote.
The letter states Grand Prairie currently has five active grant agreements with the state. The city was given until May 11 to confirm in writing that it will not allow the event to occur on city-owned property and that it will not permit similar events in the future.
If the city refuses, the governor’s office warned it could terminate the grants, require repayment of previously distributed funds, and bar Grand Prairie from receiving future grants administered by the Office of the Governor.
