Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the Texas Senate will move forward with interim hearings examining ‘EPIC City’ and related ‘Sharia law’ concerns after his office received a response letter from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
“I will get to the bottom of the ‘EPIC City’ and ‘Sharia Law’ issues in Texas,” Patrick wrote in a February 10 post on X. “What are they trying to hide? I will not back down to this group or any other organization that intends to undermine Texas law.”
I will get to the bottom of the “EPIC City” and “Sharia Law” issues in Texas. Two weeks ago, I announced that the Senate would hold interim hearings. In response, we received this letter from an organization that the Governor has designated a foreign terrorist organization…
— Office of the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (@LtGovTX) February 10, 2026
Patrick said the letter came after he announced that the Senate would hold interim hearings. He linked to the letter in his post but did not summarize its contents.
“In response, we received this letter from an organization that the Governor has designated a foreign terrorist organization,” Patrick wrote.
Context on CAIR Designation
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a proclamation in November 2025 designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations under Texas law.
Abbott’s proclamation barred those organizations from buying or acquiring land in Texas and authorized enforcement under state law. The designation did not allege that CAIR was purchasing land or developing property tied to the projects now under Senate review.
CAIR disputed the designation at the time and responded to Abbott with a letter calling the proclamation “defamatory,” according to prior Dallas Express reporting.
Senate Hearings Still Planned
Patrick previously directed the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee to examine whether “Sharia law or other secondary judicial systems have no place in Texas” as part of his interim charges.
The charge instructs the committee to review entities connected to the proposed East Plano Islamic Center, also referred to as “EPIC City,” and to make legislative recommendations related to housing discrimination and large real estate acquisitions.
Patrick did not provide a date for the interim hearings or identify witnesses in his post. He said the Senate would proceed despite objections from outside organizations.
“I will not back down,” Patrick wrote.
The hearings are expected to examine development proposals in North Texas that have drawn public attention and legislative scrutiny, including projects that critics have labeled “EPIC City.”
State officials have said no final approvals have been granted for the developments referenced in the ongoing debate.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, those concerns include a Dubai-linked “sustainable city” proposal near Kaufman County that has drawn public scrutiny.
