US Politics
Waterpark scraps Muslim-only event after Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatens to pull funding
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A private party advertised as “Muslims only” at a Texas waterpark has been cancelled after Governor Gregg Abbott threatened to pull the state funding the facility receives.
For the past two years, Dr. Aminah Knight has held a private Eid celebration at the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie, Texas. The waterpark is owned by the city, but is operated by a third-party company, according to CBS News.
In advertising the celebration this year, Knight included the phrase “Muslims only” on a private flyer passed around within the community. When news that a city-owned park was hosting an event that had initially advertised itself as only allowing Muslims to participate reached Abbott, he threatened to pull the park’s funding. The park cancelled the event as a result.
“An event at a city-owned pool that was publicly and indiscriminately advertised as ‘Whites only’ would surely violate the Constitution,” the letter said. “… The same must be true here.”
Though not a perfect analogy — Islam is a religion, not a race — Abbott’s reasoning was clearly convincing to the park operators. He argued that restricting the event to Muslims-only would violate state and federal civil-rights laws and said he would withhold $500,000 the park receives from the state if the event was not cancelled.
“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,” the city announced on Wednesday, according to CBS News.
Knight told NBC 5 that she never intended the event to be discriminatory, but she used the language on her fliers as a way to ensure that Islamic modesty standards were adhered to during the Eid holiday celebration.
“That’s not what I’m going for, and if that’s how it’s being taken, I’m definitely willing to adjust and say, hey, this is for modest fashion specifically celebrating the Eid holiday,” Knight told the broadcaster before the event was cancelled. “So, it doesn’t say Muslims only.”
She later updated the wording of her flyer to remove the “Muslims only” element and emphasize the focus on modesty.
“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,” the updated text said.
Unfortunately for her, the damage had already been done.
Abbott used the occasion to tout his own legislative victories on social media.
“A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a “MUSLIMS ONLY” event — closed to the general public,” Abbott wrote on X. “That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional. I signed HB 4211 into law — banning Muslim only no-go zones in Texas.”
He continued, saying the situation should be “a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans.”