Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation in 2026 banning Sharia compounds in the state and ordered investigations by various state agencies into the EPIC Mosque and the proposed Epic City development northeast of Dallas. Attorney General Ken Paxton subsequently filed two lawsuits aimed at ending the Epic City project.

The planned neighborhood known as Epic City began to take shape in 2024, with about 1,000 single-family and multifamily homes proposed across 400 acres roughly 40 minutes northeast of Dallas. A promotional video for the project went viral online in 2025, describing the development as "It's a way of life, a meticulously designed community that brings Islam to the forefront." The development has since changed its name from Epic City to The Meadow and removed the promotional video from social media.

"The development was structured in a way that requires anybody who bought a lot there to abide by Sharia law," Abbott said.

Imran Chaudhary, president of Community Capital Partners and the lead developer of the project, said the development never had a religious requirement for would-be residents and is open to all. "We are going to follow the county laws. We are going to follow the city laws. We are going to follow the state laws. This is just like any other development," Chaudhary said. "Yes, we feel that we are being targeted just because we are Muslims and it's a Muslim developer."

The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the mosque and development in May 2025 and closed it without finding any wrongdoing. Candidates running in Texas primaries have made Muslims and the "Islamification of Texas" the center of their campaigns, and the state's top Republicans have passed legislation and implemented policies targeting Muslim organizations and housing developments.

The East Plano Islamic Center's prayer halls reach full capacity on typical Friday services, with overflow rooms used to accommodate worshippers. "We are now one of the largest and one of the most active mosques really in the country," Yasir Qadhi, the center's resident Islamic scholar, said. "It's basically saturated out. We have so many people living in this vicinity."

Qadhi said American Muslims understand Sharia as a personal set of rituals and ethical conduct and as the law of God. Jake Lang, a far-right influencer who was indicted for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, staged a display outside the EPIC Mosque in 2025 by placing a dead pig's head containing a copy of the Koran. "Now I get it. There's freedom of speech. What is the purpose of this other than a media circus?" he said.

Islamic-oriented schools are also under scrutiny in Texas's school voucher program. Brighter Horizons Academy, a K-12 private school with 1,200 students in Garland, was excluded from the list of schools approved to participate in the Texas school choice program earlier this year without explanation.