A Texas city scrapped a “Muslim only” holiday event hosted by an Islamic group at a taxpayer-funded waterpark hours after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull state funding if it went forward.
Grand Prairie city officials axed the upcoming Eid event at Epic Indoor Park Wednesday night, shortly after the Republican warned Mayor Ron Jensen that the state would yank $530,000 in public safety grants if the gathering — initially advertised as “exclusively reserved for Muslims” — wasn’t shut down.
“After further review and in the best interest of the City of Grand Prairie, the June 1 Eid event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark has been canceled,” a city spokesperson told The Post in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, Abbott fired off a blistering letter to the city, blasting the DPW Epic Eid event — held at the city-owned indoor park for the past two years — as discriminatory and a constitutional violation after it was initially closed to the public and strictly catered to Muslim attendees.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned Grand Prairie Mayor Scott Jensen the state will yank $530,000 in grants if he doesn’t pull the plug on the annual Eid event. Getty ImagesHe then gave Jensen, who is politically unaffiliated, until Monday to call it off.
“A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a “MUSLIMS ONLY” event – closed to the general public,” Abbott fumed in an X post Wednesday.
Abbott blasted the June 1 event as discriminatory and a constitutional violation.
“That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional. I signed HB 4211 into law – banning Muslim only no-go zones in Texas. The City must cancel the event and commit to never allowing something like it again by May 11th, or lose $530,000 in state grants,” he continued.
“Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans.”
If the event went forward, Grand Prairie officials would be forced to repay the full amount of the state’s five grants and banned from receiving or applying for additional funding, Abbott warned in a letter obtained by The Post.
The holiday bash at the 80,000-square-foot waterpark came under fire after critics slammed a flyer branding it as a “Muslim only event.” Facebook/EpicWatersGPThe holiday bash at the 80,000-square-foot waterpark, which opened in 2017 for a whopping $88 million, came under fire after critics slammed a flier branding it as a “Muslim only event.”
A new flier for the event – released on Monday – removed the words “Muslim only” and replaced it with “modest dress only” and added the line “come and celebrate Eid with us, all are welcome!”
The website offers suggestions, including an entire “what to wear” section of the site, complete with purchase links for modestly-approved swimwear for women, girls, boys and toddlers.
The event website included some suggestions on how attendees should dress to uphold Muslim modesty standards. DFW EIDEvent organizer Aminah Knight previously told The Post she walked back the advertising to make clear that the gathering is a “modest dress-only event centered around celebrating Eid.”
Knight said she did not mean to exclude non-Muslims.
“The core intention behind this event is to create a space where individuals and families who value modest dress and a modest environment can come together and feel comfortable enjoying a recreational space that often doesn’t naturally accommodate those preferences,” she said.
The waterpark – funded by a 0.25% sales tax residents approved in 2014 – regularly rents out the space for private events. Facebook/Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark“While the event is rooted in celebrating Eid within the Muslim community, the guiding principle for attendance is the modest dress code. Guests are expected to follow that guideline; such as burkinis for women and swim trunks with shirts for men.”
The waterpark – funded by a 0.25% sales tax that residents approved in 2014 – regularly rents out the space for private events, Knight said.
