The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a Travis County District Court ruling that ordered the Texas Workforce Commission to comply with an agreement it made with the developers of the Plano-area Muslim-oriented community formerly known as EPIC City.
SEE: Texas judge sides with ‘EPIC City’ developers over state agency in fair housing dispute
SEE: Texas judge says agency must comply with agreement made with Plano-area Muslim development
The court’s decision represents a significant victory against a coordinated, politically motivated campaign by Texas state officials, including Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who have persistently attempted to use regulatory harassment to obstruct the multi-use Collin County development.
State officials previously levied baseless accusations against Community Capital Partners (CCP) and the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), falsely alleging that the project, now known as “The Meadow”, was operating outside the law.
The recent court order affirms that state agencies cannot arbitrarily break agreements and must operate in good faith, thoroughly rejecting the state’s discriminatory targeting of a project designed to serve all Texans, irrespective of race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status.
In a statement responding to the ruling, CAIR-Texas said:
“This court ruling is a powerful affirmation that the rule of law prevails over Islamophobic witch hunts and politically driven regulatory harassment. For over a year, state leaders have abused their authority in a bigoted attempt to deny Texas Muslims their constitutional right to develop an inclusive, family-oriented community. Through our ongoing statewide educational outreach and direct legislative advocacy, we continually fight against these types of targeted abuses of power. We applaud the court for holding state agencies accountable and recognizing that the law applies equally to everyone, including the State of Texas.”
CAIR-Texas has previously called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether Texas state officials violated the civil rights of Muslims through discriminatory zoning, unconstitutional regulatory intimidation, and hostility toward Muslims’ civic participation.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, 469-200-0273, mcarroll@cair.com; CAIR Texas Civic Engagement Organizer Sameeha Rizvi, 512-893-1371,srizvi@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com