Texas Gov. Greg Abbott fired off a blistering letter threatening to yank state funding if one of his cities doesn’t shut down an “Muslim-only” bash hosted by an Islamic group at a taxpayer-funded water park.
The Republican warned Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen Wednesday that the state will pull back $530,000 in public safety grants if he doesn’t pull the plug on the upcoming Eid event at Epic Indoor Park, initially advertised as “exclusively reserved for Muslims,” according to a threatening letter obtained by The Post.
The third-annual DFW Epic Eid also requires modest swimwear and was initially closed to the public.
Abbott blasted the June 1 event – held at the city-owned indoor park for the past two years – as discriminatory and a constitutional violation, and 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.
“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 state claws back the city’s five grants, Grand Prairie officials would be forced to repay the full amount and be banned from receiving or applying for additional funding until they comply with Texas law, Abbott said in his letter.
The city of Grand Prairie did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The 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.
Event 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.
“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.
