The East Plano Islamic Center, one of the largest mosques in North Texas, must stop all funeral service operations after Gov. Greg Abbott sent a cease-and-desist letter Wednesday.
The directive comes a day after the Texas attorney general announced an investigation into EPIC over a planned North Texas community development.
A letter to the Plano mosque claims it is operating a funeral home without an establishment license, violating requirements listed in a state law for funeral homes. The Texas Funeral Service Commission is also making a criminal referral to the Collin County District Attorney.
EPIC did have a license, which expired in 2022. But the mosque’s website shows it partners with Rahma Funeral Homes to provide funeral services — which is licensed and has been since 2004, according to the state’s Online Licensing System.
It’s not clear what additional requirements are being violated and KERA News reached out to Abbott’s office and the East Plano Islamic Center for a comment.
"Here in Texas, we uphold the rule of law,” Abbott said in a press release. "The group behind the proposed East Plano Islamic Center compound in Collin County is knowingly breaking state law in many ways, including by operating a funeral home without a license. This is a crime, and it will not be tolerated. Texas will continue to defend our communities from any threats posed by EPIC City."
On Monday, Abbott announced that a dozen state agencies are investigating the Plano mosque’s upcoming project known as EPIC City, alleging it has “serious legal issues.” The governor did not provide evidence of his claim. He also referred to "foreign adversaries” in his tweet, but did not elaborate.
EPIC City would be in Josephine, a city about 40 miles northeast of Dallas and includes a new mosque, more than 1,000 single and multi-family homes, a K-12 faith-based school, senior housing, an outreach center, commercial developments, sports facilities, and a community college.
Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into the project’s corporate entity, Community Capital Partners, claiming potential violations of the state’s consumer protection laws.
Imran Chaudhary, President of Community Capital Partners said in a statement to KERA News the company will work with Paxton as the investigation is ongoing.
“We understand that there has been a lot of rumor-milling and misinformation circulated by many who are uninformed," Chaudhary said. "We look forward to working with the Attorney General to ensure that we are in legal compliance every step of the way and educating the broader community about our project.”
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