The East Plano Islamic Center’s planned development faces continued scrutiny from Texas officials.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate EPIC for potential religious discrimination.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Cornyn expressed concern that a “master-planned ‘community of thousands of Muslims’” could violate the Fair Housing Act of 1968 by discriminating against Christians, Jews, and other non-muslim minorities.
“Religious discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” wrote Cornyn. “Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation’s values, and I am concerned this community potentially undermines this vital protection.”
EPIC and Community Capital Partners, the developers of EPIC City, are facing a barrage of bad publicity for the project, which is still in the early planning stages. The new EPIC community is designed to include 1,000 homes as well as a mosque, school, and other facilities catering to Muslim families.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced several legal probes into the activities of EPIC and CCP over the past couple of weeks.
One probe by the Texas Workforce Commission is investigating whether EPIC violates the Texas Fair Housing Act, which also prohibits religious discrimination.
EPIC responded by hiring high-profile defense attorney Dan Cogdell to represent them. Cogdell has called the investigations “political theater.”
Paxton announced Monday that his office is seeking additional documentation from local city officials in Plano, Richardson, Wylie, and Josephine in relation to EPIC.
“If any local official is supporting or communicating with a real estate development that is under investigation for potential violations of state law, then it’s imperative that we are made aware of exactly what’s being communicated,” said Paxton. “We will thoroughly review these documents as part of our ongoing investigation into EPIC City and work to hold accountable anyone who breaks Texas law.”
The Josephine city administrator and Wylie’s mayor have previously addressed questions about EPIC.
Cornyn and Paxton are both running for U.S. Senate.
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