What to know about the 'Sharia city' development planned in Texas
Mek's post centered on EPIC City, a development east of Dallas, managed by EPIC Community Capital Partner, a nonprofit organization set up by the East Plano Islamic Center, a mosque and community center near Plano. Another development, EPIC Ranches, is planned nearby.
Other claims accusing EPIC City of being a "sharia city" also appeared across X and Facebook (archived) (archived) (archived) (archived). One of Mek's posts also was shared by Texas' governor.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. foreign-policy think tank, Shariah is "the divine counsel that Muslims follow to live moral lives and grow close to God." Interpretations of Shariah, the principles of which stem from the Quran and hadith — sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad — form the basis of Islamic law.
Therefore, according to the CFR, "most Muslims worldwide follow aspects of sharia in their private religious practices," and, more likely than not, Muslims living in EPIC City would follow aspects of Shariah, too, when practicing their religion.
However, Yasir Qadhi, a spokesman for the projects, told The Dallas Morning News that EPIC City would enforce only Texas and federal laws.
We reached out to Qadhi, EPIC City and EPIC Ranches to ask how Shariah would be incorporated into their communities, and await a reply.
The EPIC projects were in the early stages of development at the time of this writing, with plots still for sale to prospective buyers.
The developers of EPIC City and Ranches clearly advertised the projects' connection to the East Plano Islamic Center. According to EPIC City's website, the project is managed by EPIC Community Capital Partner, a nonprofit organization set up by EPIC specifically to manage the developments.
The planned city would consist of nearly 1,100 single -family lots, a private school, commercial space and a mosque, according to investor documents on EPIC City's website. CCP would donate land to EPIC for the construction of the mosque and school, according to the documents. The school would be run either by EPIC or an "affiliate."
The EPIC Ranches, announced in February 2025, added 130 additional lots within a short distance of EPIC City.
The face of the EPIC City project, Yasir Qadhi, is also a resident scholar at EPIC.
While the website for EPIC City and Ranches did not make mention of Shariah, the EPIC City website did advertise the development as "a safe purpose-built community to serve the growing needs of a Muslim community."
(Screenshot from epicccp.com)
According to The Dallas Morning News, a February project update featuring Qadhi described the development as a "Muslim neighborhood" and "a role model community of thousands of Muslims living well-integrated."
The cited video update could not be found on EPIC City's website and social media channels at the time of this writing.
However, the CCP also told The News it would adhere to the Fair Housing Act, meaning it would not enforce "blanket bans" on any group of people but assess buyers individually for suitability to buy within the developments.
The CCP had changed text on its website, according to The News, to make it clear that the EPIC projects could be home to "people of every background, faith, and culture" who "align with our goals of safety and security."
Mek's posts, viewed millions of times on X, repeatedly (archived) associated (archived) the EPIC developments with Shariah.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spread Mek's claims further. On Feb. 24, Abbott reposted (archived) one of Mek's posts about EPIC City, writing:
To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas.
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.
We reached out to Abbott's office to ask what legislation the governor's statements were based on and whether his office would investigate or take action against the EPIC developments, and await a reply.
On Feb. 27, Texas state Rep. Jeff Leach sent a letter (archived) to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, writing that: "Reports indicate that this large-scale real estate development may seek to incorporate elements of Sharia law into its operations, raising serious legal and constitutional concerns." We have reached out to Leach to ask which reports he was referring to. We also asked him and Paxton whether investigations into the development were planned or ongoing. We will update this report if we receive responses.
Snopes reported in December 2024 about a bill that allegedly made Shariah illegal in Texas. We've reported on claims about Shariah being imposed in Texas since 2015.
@AmyMek. "🚨 ALERT TEXAS! 🚨." X, 14 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/AmyMek/status/1900428778821898495.
---. "🚨 ALERT TEXAS! 🚨." X, 14 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/AmyMek/status/1900428778821898495.
---. "ALERT TEXAS! ." X, 24 Feb. 2025, https://archive.ph/o9XOD#selection-601.0-601.14.
---. "Texas' First Sharia City - A Glance at Their Sharia Schools! ." X, 14 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/AmyMek/status/1900447200796434492.
Civil Rights Division | The Fair Housing Act. 6 Aug. 2015, https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
EPIC City: Thriving Muslim Community by Capital Partners. https://epicccp.com/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Epic Ranches. https://theepicranches.com/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
EPIC's Team – EPIC Masjid. https://epicmasjid.org/epics-team/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
FAQs: Your Questions Answered - EPIC City. https://epicccp.com/faqs/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
@GregAbbott_TX. "To Be Clear, Sharia Law Is Not Allowed in Texas." X, 24 Feb. 2025, https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1894053102430405050.
@JeffOli47397071. "Yet You're Allowing Muslim's Build a City near Dallas and Implement Sharia Law?" X, 18 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/JeffOli47397071/status/1901813388600136013.
Jimenez, Marco A. "Allahu Akbar, Texas… A New Sharia City Near Dallas! ." Facebook, 18 Mar. 2025, https://www.facebook.com/marco.a.jimenez.39/posts/pfbid02MmgPrj5cVQb27EkPYew51mN3KTzJD3Bh45ZFYnv4baZkpqYPswCv1vQqX445EFr8l.
@leachfortexas. "Thanks, Mitch. Appreciate Your Support on This and Look Forward to Partnering Together on It." X, 28 Feb. 2025, https://x.com/leachfortexas/status/1895530489295094161.
Spainhouer, Fredd Steven. "𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲." Facebook, 17 Mar. 2025, https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10233009608115307&set=gm.2332449233801448&idorvanity=666120167101038.
@TXNSWINDLER. "We Have Way Bigger Issues Currently. ." X, 17 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/TXNSWINDLER/status/1901764988005425514.
Understanding Sharia: The Intersection of Islam and the Law | Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/understanding-sharia-intersection-islam-and-law. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Wooten, Nick, and Adrian Ashford. "They Dream of Building Muslim-Centric Neighborhoods near Dallas. Will It Work?" The Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2025, https://archive.ph/cgEuI#selection-1783.0-1783.11.
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