Texas blocks Islamic megacity amid fraud and security concerns
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has blocked the construction of an Islamic metropolis amid concerns about illegal activity and security threats.
Early last year, the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) announced plans for EPIC City, a sprawling 402-acre town north of Dallas being promoted as “the epicenter of Islam in America.” Organizers are seeking permits from Collin County to build 1,000 homes, a school, and a shopping center, all centered around a mosque just outside Josephine, Texas.
At a public meeting last week, dozens of Josephine’s 2,000 residents urged Collin County Commissioners Court to deny permits for the Islamic city. Some voiced concerns that it would affect Josephine’s resources, while others raised fears that it would impose Islam’s totalitarian Sharia law. Lt. (Ret.) Douglas Deaton, a 26-year veteran of the Plano Police Department, warned that these fears are well-founded.
“There seems to be a general misunderstanding that we’re talking about a plan to build an Islamic Sharia-friendly community,” Deaton told the commissioners. “The EPIC neighborhood already exists in Plano. It’s been there for nearly 12 years.”
Deaton, who said he worked with EPIC members regularly when he served on the Plano Police Department, explained that only Muslims are permitted to purchase property in the Islamic neighborhood. The UIF Corporation, an Islamic loan center located next to EPIC’s headquarters, offers loans to Sharia-compliant businesses. According to the RAIR Foundation, a 2024 Google Street View shot of the back of the UIF office shows another occupant: Al-Ihsan Foundation USA. Al-Ihsan claims to be a Sydney-based pro-Palestinian nonprofit that funnels supplies to Lebanon, Sudan, and Gaza. Although it was created in 2015, it only lists financial reports for 2021-2023, none of which are accessible, with no link provided to see the reports.
In his testimony, Deaton also warned about a large home—the first built in the EPIC neighborhood— strategically located next to a police station.
“The rear of the property is just a few feet from a large outdoor warning siren,” Deaton said. “The house has a large second-story platform overlooking the restricted access parking lot where the police department stored specialized vehicles such as bomb trucks, bomb disposal equipment, and the SWAT team’s armored vehicle.”
“That house has all the hallmarks of a fortress and a command post,” he added. “The rear of the house looks a lot like an observation post and a shooting platform.”
“With so many vacant lots available, why would someone choose to build a house so close to a giant warning siren and a police pursuit training site?” the former police officer asked. “Why have a massive balcony overlooking all those specialized emergency vehicles and the police academy? Why would you build your new home in the one place that would ensure your daily life was disturbed every time the bomb or SWAT team was called out?”
Governor Abbott halts EPIC City
On April 1st, Governor Abbott announced that EPIC City’s organizers have failed to obtain the proper permits and must cease all construction on the project.
“The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found that the group behind the proposed EPIC compound did not submit the required permits to begin construction,” he said in a press release. “They must confirm within seven days that they are immediately ceasing any construction of their illegal project or face the full weight of the law. The State of Texas will enforce its laws and protect our communities from unlawful actions or threats posed by EPIC or its affiliates.”
In February, the governor suggested EPIC City will impose Sharia law and establish itself as a “no-go zone.” No-go areas, which have become more prevalent in Europe, are Muslim neighborhoods that consider themselves sovereign under Sharia law and reject the authority of secular law enforcement.
“To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas,” Gov. Abbott said on February 24th. “Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are ‘no go zones’ which this project seems to imply. Bottom line. The project as proposed in the video is not allowed in Texas.”
More recently, the governor accused EPIC of fraud by using its mosque as a funeral home without a license and suggested that EPIC City is committing other violations.
“We are uncovering legal violations by EPIC City that go far beyond what people realize,” he said. “The proposed community will never see the light of day. More to come.”
Last month, Governor Abbott announced the investigation into EPIC’s board for fraud, again taking aim at Sharia law.
“The group behind the proposed East Plano Islamic Center compound may be misleading investors,” Abbott said. “Defrauding Texans will not be tolerated. The Texas State Securities Board is conducting a thorough investigation to ensure Texans are protected from financial harm that is alleged to have been caused by EPIC. This is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal activities by EPIC. All entities in Texas must follow state law, not Sharia law.”
