An attorney representing the East Plano Islamic Center — a Muslim group that has received backlash and come under investigation in recent weeks over a planned North Texas development — said the group is the victim of racial profiling from Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials.
During a press conference Thursday, high-profile Texas attorney Dan Cogdell — who among other things previously represented Ken Paxton during the attorney general's 2023 impeachment and a state securities fraud case — said Abbott has spread false information and hate speech about the development.
"Quit tweeting lies, false information and nonsense because my clients right now, what they are doing is they are suffering from essentially gubernatorial hate speech," said Cagdell, who's also representing EPIC's corporate entity Community Capital Partners. "They're getting death threats, their families are being antagonized, their property is getting picketed. They are afraid for their lives, of the falsehood that the governor's office has started."
EPIC City is a 402-acre proposed development planned for unincorporated Collin and Hunt counties, roughly 40 miles northeast of Dallas near the city of Josephine. It would include 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.
Abbott this week ordered the developer of EPIC City, a project aimed at supporting the Muslim community to stop construction — even though the group says it's still in the planning phase and hasn't even begun building. No applications or paperwork have been filed with local or state agencies.
It's the most recent order from the governor following a string of other accusations against EPIC, including a criminal probe announced Monday.
Abbott has repeatedly accused the group of promoting Sharia law, starting a "no-go zone," and said his investigations will prevent "foreign adversaries" from buying land.
The governor's office has not responded to KERA's multiple requests for comment over the past two weeks with a series of questions seeking to clarify Abbott's accusations, but Cogdell called the claims "nonsense."
"That's an absolute lie," Cogdell told media. "No one associated with EPIC, no one associated with that community follows Sharia Law or is in favor of Sharia law or is implementing Sharia law. The governor has weaponized that word repeatedly. He has said it's a no-go zone. That's absolute nonsense."
During a Collin County Commissioners Court hearing Monday, several residents spoke out against the development. Some cited resource and development issues, but others referred to the project as a "compound" and repeated stereotypes about the Muslim faith, including unfounded claims that the potential EPIC City residents would be affiliated with terrorist organizations.
Many citied Abbott's social media posts and investigations on those claims.
"For him to call this a compound is an outright lie and it's an insult and it is doing nothing but try to demonize faithful, religious, honest, hard-working people," Cogdell said. "I'm ashamed that he's gone that far. He said he's going to prevent foreign adversaries from buying property. These aren't foreign adversaries. These are Texans. These are Americans. These are United States citizens."
At this point, Cogdell said the group is not looking to pursue legal action against the state and is instead focused on going through with the project.
"All they want to do is to build a community that allows them to live together with people who value family and faith," Cogdell said.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.
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