Governor Greg Abbott’s office has intensified its response to the controversy surrounding a planned “Muslim-only” event in Grand Prairie by sending a letter demanding its cancellation.
Sara Gonzales, the host of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” on BlazeTV, obtained the letter, which indicates that Abbott’s office is taking significant action regarding this event at Epic Waters Waterpark. The letter threatens to withhold over $500,000 in public safety grants unless the city cancels the event by May 11.
The letter, dated May 6, directly notifies Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen that the city is in breach of all PSO (Public Safety Office) grant agreements for 2026.
A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a "MUSLIMS ONLY" event — closed to the general public.
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… https://t.co/W9NY9PAAjE
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 6, 2026
As first reported by The Dallas Express, Epic Waters – a city-owned water park funded in part by a voter-approved 0.25% sales tax – is still scheduled to host the “3rd Annual DFW Epic Eid” on June 1, an event that was publicly advertised as a “Muslim Only” event with cultural requirements for all attendees.
Abbott’s Letter: $530K Grants at Risk
The letter points directly to the event’s own promotional materials – flyers that described the gathering as a “Muslim only event,” “for Muslims only,” and “closed to the public” – and draws a straightforward comparison: if a city-owned pool ran a “Whites only” day, everyone would agree that was unconstitutional.
Abbott’s team argues the same standard applies here, regardless of which group is doing the excluding.
The letter also reminds Grand Prairie of its existing commitment. When the city accepted the PSO grants, the City Manager agreed to comply with all state and federal civil rights laws and to avoid discrimination based on religion in the delivery of public services.
If Grand Prairie doesn’t follow through with the May 11 deadline, the consequences could be significant: all five active PSO grants get terminated, the city must return the full $530,000 within 30 days, and it loses eligibility to apply for any future Office of the Governor grant funding until it makes things right.
“Muslim-Only” Flyers Scrubbed After Backlash
When promotional materials for the event hit social media, things moved fast. The flyers explicitly advertised a “Muslim-only” admission policy, complete with halal food and a private prayer area on-site at a city-owned facility.
Faced with the growing backlash, organizers scrubbed the “Muslims only” language from their advertisements, replacing it with “Modest Dress Only.”
Below is the original flyer that went viral on social media, including being posted by Sara Gonzales on X (note top right corner):
🚨ISLAMIFICATION ALERT🚨
Grand Prairie, TX has an indoor water park called Epic Waters (no relation to EPIC city).
It is owned by the city & now has a MUSLIM ONLY event on June 1st, with halal food, and a private prayer area.
The event is closed to the public- Muslims only. pic.twitter.com/c7qgyKhCN7
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) May 4, 2026
Updated flyer per the event website (note change in top right corner):
As of the morning of May 6, the website still indicated that “the entire waterpark has been exclusively reserved for Muslims” and that “attendees of all ages are expected to dress in accordance with Islamic values.” By the afternoon of May 6, this wording appears to have been removed.
Additionally, the website originally read, “While men and women are not separated, we ask all attendees to uphold Islamic etiquette,” and asks for attendees to “practice ḥayāʾ (modesty) through respectful behavior – such as maintaining personal space and lowering the gaze.”
That verbiage has since been changed to read “While men and women are not separated, we ask all attendees to uphold Islamic etiquette just as they do in other mixed gender spaces. Please follow the event’s modest dress code, and practice ḥayāʾ (modesty) through respectful behavior—such as maintaining personal space and lowering the gaze. We trust our community to help preserve a spiritually mindful and welcoming atmosphere for all.”
Core Legal Question: Can a Taxpayer-Funded Waterpark Host a “Muslim-Only” Event?
At the heart of the dispute is whether a publicly funded municipal facility can be used – even under a private rental agreement – to host an event that conditions admission on religious identity.
Texas State Rep. Mitch Little (R-District 65) chimed in on X, writing: “I mean, this is a law school essay question and not a hard one. You can’t have a Muslim-only event, guys. What are we doing here, Texas?”
The city has not issued a public statement in response to the Governor’s letter as of press time. The event organizers have also not formally responded to an inquiry from DX.
