Anti-Muslim sentiment in Texas politics takes ugly turn as gov forces canceling of Eid event
Organizer had hoped family-oriented celebration would boost girls’ sense of self
For months various Texas Republican officeholders — including its governor, attorney general and some members of Congress — have made it clear that Muslim influence isn’t wanted in their state. Although most of their actions had little effect on the day-to-day lives of the state’s Muslim population, they did have some real-life consequences last week as Gov. Greg Abbott forced a Dallas suburb to cancel a private Eid celebration whose organizers had scheduled the rental of a municipal water park for five hours of family-oriented fun and food — with spaces set aside for prayers.
The disappointing and probably unconstitutional decision by the city of Grand Prairie to cancel the June 1 event came after the city received a letter from Andrew Friedrich, the director of Abbott’s Public Safety Office. The letter, seizing on a statement on a flyer for the DFW Epic Eid event that it was for Muslims only, claimed that the celebration was a “discriminatory event” that should not be allowed to take place and threatened to withhold some $530,000 in state grants to the city, even though the grants were not related to the event.
Despite the implication of Friedrich and other opponents of the event that allowing such an event on city property would be unconstitutional, their legal case is a weak one. The water park’s website says that the facility can be rented out to church groups, and the city would be hard-pressed to offer a legal rationale for allowing Christian-oriented rentals but not Muslim ones. Furthermore, in recent decisions involving education, the Supreme Court has indicated that it is fine with local governments providing resources to religious groups even if the use of the resources is linked to people of a particular faith or religious practice.
Before cancelation, non-Muslims were invited
As it turned out, however, it didn’t matter that an earlier flyer said the celebration was specifically for Muslims. Before the city canceled the event, organizer Aminah Knight made it clear that non-Muslims were perfectly welcome to attend. The flyer had been distributed primarily within the area’s Muslim community, but Knight said in a written statement on the event’s website that all who were willing to comply with the dress and behavioral standards for the Muslim family event could come. Those requirements included the wearing of burkinis for women and a shirt with swim trunks for men; the burkinis shown in the flyer as examples of what could be worn by girls and women were swimwear that covered all but the face, hands and feet. Participants also were asked maintain a “respectful” distance between men and women.
“So if you are a friend of a different faith who wants to celebrate the Eid holiday with us and adhere to the modest dress code .... this event is FOR YOU TOO!” Knight wrote.
Knight’s clarification wasn’t enough to persuade city officials fearful of losing over half a million dollars in state funding, however. “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,” a city spokesperson told news media last Thursday.
In a written statement made after the cancelation, Knight said the Muslim community would pursue the goals of the event in other ways. She said one of celebration’s main purposes was to serve as an inspiration for girls facing personal challenges in meeting Muslim dress requirements:
This event was born out of love, for our community, and especially for our daughters. Being a young Muslim girl in America is layered in ways many people never see. There is the love of God, the guidance of family, and then there is the world: school hallways, social media, the constant message that beauty means showing skin. For a girl trying to hold onto her faith and her sense of self in the middle of all of that, the weight can be enormous.
... The flyer was originally shared within private Muslim community spaces. It was circulated more broadly by people who were not interested in attending, but in creating division. While hateful messages came, so did something unexpected: important conversations about Muslims in America and how our community is seen.
Islam teaches that within every difficulty there is ease. And I believe something beautiful can still come from this.
To our community, and especially to our daughters and our mothers:
You are beautiful. Your modesty is not a burden. You deserve spaces where that is celebrated. And we will create them.
Islam has been target of Texas politicians
Last week’s developments are the latest in a continuing effort by Abbott and some other politicians to limit whatever influence Muslims may have on Texas culture. Here are some of the incidents that have occurred during the past year:
🟪 Last summer, Abbott signed House Bill 4211 into law, claiming that it was needed to prevent the development of housing where Sharia law would be imposed. The law says that residential purchase agreements cannot require that “a dispute concerning the arrangement or interest be brought before a tribunal other than a court established under the laws of this state or the United States.”
🟪 In November, Abbott signed a proclamation designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as “foreign terrorist organizations” under Texas law.
🟪 With support from Abbott, the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, late last year sued the East Plano Islamic Center, which has proposed the development of about 402 acres of property near Dallas. Paxton claimed that the plans violate securities laws. Plans call for the building of mosque and hundreds of homes.
🟪 In December, two Texas Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Keith Self and Chip Roy, launched what they call the Sharia Free America Caucus. They called Sharia, the body of Muslim religious law, “a dominating force that is not compatible with the U.S. Constitution.” Self claimed that through Sharia law, “countries like France and England are on the verge of losing their identity and sovereignty. The same forces are at play here in America today, and if we don’t stop them, they will conquer our country too.”
🟪 Earlier this year, several Muslim schools were ruled ineligible to receive Texas school voucher funds under the terms of a law that was written specifically to provide public funding for religious schools. However, that decision was reversed after a federal court determined that the state excluded the Muslim schools because of connections the schools had with entities that also had connections with Christian schools that were approved.
🟪 Last week, under Abbot’s direction, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ordered the closure of Texas American Muslim University, which, according to its website, “offers specialized programs combining modern technology with Islamic services, equipping students with skills in digital innovation while preserving Islamic values.”