The 3rd Annual DFW Epic Eid event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie has been canceled – a quick end to a controversy that The Dallas Express reported on previously.
The City of Grand Prairie published a short statement in response to the cancellation on Wednesday evening, reading: “After further review and in the best interest of the City of Grand Prairie, the June 1 Eid event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark has been canceled.”
The decision came within hours after Gov. Greg Abbott sent a formal letter threatening to revoke more than $530,000 in state public safety grants unless the city pulled the plug on the June 1 event. The letter even gave a cancellation deadline of May 11 before the city faced any financial repercussions, as DX reported at the time.
“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 commit to never allowing something like it again by May 11th, or lose $530,000 in state grants,” Abbott wrote.
“Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans,” Abbott added.
Epic Waters is owned by the City of Grand Prairie and receives funding through a voter-approved 0.25% sales tax.
Abbott’s letter to Mayor Ron Jensen put a spotlight on the event’s own ads and flyers, which directly described it as “Muslim-Only,” “For Muslims Only,” and “Closed to the Public.” The letter argued that restricting access at a city-owned pool based on religion is no different from a “Whites only” event, which would also violate the law.
Event organizer Dr. Aminah Knight has reportedly spent days trying to defuse the controversy and keep the event going. In a recent statement posted to the DFW Epic Eid website before the cancellation, she said that the event was “a privately organized and privately funded event held through a standard rental of Epic Waters, just like many other private gatherings hosted at the park.”
She also updated event flyers to remove exclusionary language, replacing “Muslim only” with a “modest dress only” requirement – “burkinis” for women, swim trunks and shirts for men.
Knight, who describes herself as an educator and mother of six who has spent years serving her community, said she intends to turn the cancellation into something constructive. She also announced plans for a Fourth of July interfaith gathering she is calling “The Great American Cookout,” inviting people of different faiths and backgrounds to connect as fellow Americans, per Fox 4 News.
As of Thursday morning, Governor Abbott’s office, the event organizers, and Grand Prairie city officials have issued no further statements beyond their cancellation announcement.
