An event at a taxpayer-funded park in Texas was canceled after its organizers advertised it as a “Muslim-only” gathering.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called out the alleged “religious discrimination” in a social media post, noting that he had sent a letter to the city of Grand Prairie threatening to pull over half a million dollars in state grants if the event was allowed to proceed.
A local Islamic group reportedly rented out the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie to celebrate the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) “Epic Eid” event. The annual celebration, set for June 1, was advertised in a flyer that said it was a “Muslim-only event” and required a “modest dress code.”
🚨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
The flyer and website were later modified, with “For Muslims only” changed to “All are welcome.”
Representatives for the water park and the city of Grand Prairie confirmed the cancellation of the event in a statement to Fox News Digital, stating, “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.”
This screenshot came directly from the organizer’s website. Here it is straight from the website, before they quietly changed it: pic.twitter.com/bcwt3A1G6T
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) May 4, 2026
“That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional. I signed HB 4211 into law — banning Muslim only no-go zones in Texas,” Abbott wrote in an X post.
“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,” the Republican leader added. “Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans.”
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
“The event was going to be the third held at Epic Waters, a city-owned water park funded in part by a voter-approved 0.25% sales tax in the DFW suburb of Grand Prairie,” Fox News noted. “Initially, the event advertised halal food and a private prayer area ‘for Muslims only.’ Women were required to dress in ‘burkinis,’ and men were required to wear swim trunks and shirts.”
In an initial message on the event website, organizer Aminah Knight explained that the event was about “creating a space where individuals and families, particularly those who value modest dress and a modest environment, can come together and enjoy a recreational setting comfortably.”
“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,” she wrote.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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