Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Friday aimed at banning certain property developments in Texas — specifically naming a North Texas mosque's controversial proposed multi-purpose development.
Abbott hosted the ceremonial signing for House Bill 4211 — which became law in June — in McKinney, not far from the planned site for the East Plano Islamic Center's EPIC City. The law changes the Texas Fair Housing Act so exemptions that usually allow religious organizations to operate housing developments without violating the act don't apply to developments like EPIC City.
The goal, Abbott said at the press conference, is to prevent "bad actors" from using religious freedom to impose "segregation," as he singled out EPIC in his comments.
"This law prevents them from creating no-go zones," the governor said. "It prevents them from selling or renting land only to people who follow Islam. It prevents them from controlling who a buyer can sell their property to. It requires disputes to be resolved by Texas law and Texas courts, not Sharia law."
The law also requires business entities entering into a residential arrangement to disclose to anyone buying land that they're investing into the interest of the business, not the property. Anyone who wants to buy a lot in EPIC City has to purchase a share with Community Capital Partners, the corporate entity behind EPIC City, according to the project's website.
The law's author, state Rep. Candy Noble of Murphy, joined Abbott for the bill signing, along with other Collin County-area lawmakers.
Noble cited what she said were quotes from Community Capital Partners that highlighted the development's unlawfulness: investments in EPIC City are non-refundable, shares can't be easily sold and sales will be limited only to those CCP believes "will contribute to the overall makeup of [the EPIC City] community."
"That is certainly not the Texas way," Noble said. "In Texas, home ownership means something, and we want to protect that meaning for every Texan."
Abbott clarified the law — which doesn't explicitly mention Islam or Sharia law — does apply to other religions.
"What happened here was a development that created religious segregation with a hostility to any other religion, and that's un-Texan," Abbott said.
EPIC City is a proposed development in Josephine, a city about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. The plans include a new mosque, more than 1,000 single and multi-family homes, a K-12 faith-based school, senior housing, an outreach center, commercial developments, sports facilities and a community college.
Neither the developers nor the mosque have said the community would be closed to non-Muslims or governed by religious law. A representative for Community Capital Partners has said the company supports HB 4211, and it doesn't change how the company operates.
The development has nonetheless been targeted by Abbott and others who alleged without evidence the project could discriminate against non-Muslims, violate the state's Fair Housing Act, harm investors and break consumer protection laws.
There are at least five active state investigations into the development. EPIC has repeatedly denied the claims against it, saying the investigations are motivated by anti-Muslim bias. In June, a federal investigation found no violations.
Abbott has been vocal about his disapproval of EPIC City, issuing statements emphasizing the state's oversight and sharing Islamophobic social media content, claiming the project has "serious legal issues" in March. He said at the time legislators would look into creating laws to prevent "foreign adversaries" from buying land, but did not elaborate on who he was referring to.
In a statement ahead of the press conference, the Texas chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations — or CAIR — accused Abbott of distorting the purpose of the bill. The group called Abbott's claims on social media, "divorced from reality."
"The governor's rhetoric is fueling anti-Muslim bigotry and putting Texas Muslims at risk," said Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of CAIR-Texas. "To single out Islamic practices as uniquely threatening undermines the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."
The proposed development is still in the early stages. In April, Abbott ordered the mosque to cease construction or face legal action, but construction has not started. Representatives for Community Capital Partners say construction is years away.
The controversy intensified after text messages emerged showing anti-Muslim remarks in May by the head of a state agency investigating EPIC.
Texas Funeral Service Commission Presiding Officer Kristin Tips texted an anti-Muslim graphic and links to the commission's then-executive director Scott Bingaman.
TFSC is currently investigating EPIC for allegedly operating as a funeral home without a license. EPIC sued over the investigation, alleging the commission had no authority to take disciplinary action against the mosque and that it was being targeted over its religion.
Then in a July letter, TFSC walked back some of its claims. That allowed some of EPIC's funeral practices to continue, though the investigation remains ongoing.
Abbott said Friday the investigation into EPIC's funeral services was spurred by a complaint made by another provider, but he did not comment on Tips' text messages or the walking back of claims in TFSC's investigation.
Additional reporting by KERA's Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela.
Toluwani Osibamowo is KERA's law and justice reporter, and Penelope Rivera is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org or Toluwani at tosibamowo@kera.org.
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