Fury erupts after taxpayer-funded US waterpark unveils plans to host 'Muslim only' event

Outrage has erupted after a taxpayer-funded US waterpark unveiled plans to host a "Muslim-only" event.

A poster for the Epic Eid celebration in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas on June 1 stated in three separate places that attendance was for Muslims only, while also enforcing a modest dress code.

Epic Waters in Grand Prairie, outside Dallas, is an 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark that opened in 2017 at a cost of $88million (£65million).

The venue was funded through a 0.25 per cent local sales tax approved by residents in a 2014 ballot referendum.

After fierce backlash on social media and within the local community, organiser Aminah Knight told The New York Post the event would be clearly presented as a "modest dress-only event centred around celebrating Eid".

An updated version of the flyer removed the phrase "Muslim only" and replaced it with "modest dress only," while adding: "Come and celebrate Eid with us, all are welcome!"

The poster also advertises halal food, a private prayer area and "exclusive access" to the waterpark, with tickets priced at $65 with food and $55 without.

While the event website states men and women will not be segregated, attendees are still asked to uphold "Islamic etiquette" and lower their gaze around members of the opposite sex.

Texas Radio host Dana Loesch asked: "How is a taxpayer-funded, city-owned entity allowed to discriminate against non-Muslims at a public water park?"

Another furious commenter said it seemed like a "civil rights violations", while others asked if there should be a "Christians Only" day.

Ms Knight said it was not her intention to exclude non-Muslims.

She said: "The core intention behind this event is to create a space where individuals and families who value modest dress and a modest environment can come together and feel comfortable enjoying a recreational space that often doesn’t naturally accommodate those preferences.

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"While the event is rooted in celebrating Eid within the Muslim community, the guiding principle for attendance is the modest dress code.

"Guests are expected to follow that guideline; such as burkinis for women and swim trunks with shirts for men."

She added the park regularly is used for private events, no different than her Eid events.

The Dallas area is also set to host EPIC City, an initiative to build a master-planned Islamic community-centred development about 40 miles northeast from the city centre, launched by the East Plano Islamic Centre (EPIC).

Plans for the site include around 1,000 residential properties, a mosque, Islamic schools, medical clinics, retail outlets, parks and a care home for the elderly.

On December 5, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the project, claiming securities fraud.

And in February 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said: "To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are 'no go zones' which this project seems to imply."

Yasir Qadhi, the cleric connected to the project, said the project was not intended to be isolated from the wider community, adding that EPIC was "not forming a cult".

But Mr Qadhi has previously faced controversy after being heard in audio recordings in the early 2000s dismissing the Holocasut as "false propoganda", remarks which he shas since described as an "error" and "a one-time mistake".

A spokesman for the water park has said the event is "not hosted or organized" by Epic Waters and the space is available for rent to a variety of groups.

"These groups regularly book our venue for birthday parties, celebrations, youth events, corporate programming, and other activities, including full-park buyouts for large-scale private or ticketed events. As with all rentals, the hosting entity, not the waterpark, determines the event’s programming," the spokesman added.