Texas group makes ‘Muslim only’ event inclusive after Abbott threatens to withhold state funding

A Texas Islamic group changed its “Muslim only” event into a more inclusive one at a taxpayer funded waterpark after the state’s GOP Gov. Greg Abbott threatened Wednesday to withhold funding.The Islamic group planned an “Epic Eid” celebration for June 1 at the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark, which it initially advertised as a “Muslim only event” that required a “modest dress code,” according to Fox News.
Abbott claimed in a social media post that the advertisement amounted to “religious discrimination,” and ordered the group to cancel the event by May 11th or lose its grants.
“A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a ‘MUSLIMS ONLY’ event — closed to the general public,” Abbott posted on X. “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.”
The group has since changed the fliers and advertisements for the event, which now removes “Muslim only event” and says “Modest dress only” and replaces the phrase “For Muslims only” with “All are welcome.”
Event organizer Aminah Knight said the changes are because of pushback from the public.
“In response to feedback, we have updated our materials to clearly reflect that this is a modest dress-only event, centered around a respectful and family-friendly environment,” Knight wrote in a message on the event website.
It was not clear if the changes will permit the event to go on, or if Abbott will still require the group to cancel it.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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