This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A corporation wants to build a Muslim community in Texas, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is asking for a Department of Justice investigation to find out if there are violations of federal laws involved in the scheme.
The plan for the project, led by the East Plano Islamic Center in Josephine, Texas, is for the community to have single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school, assisted living, and other things. And it would cater to Muslims.
In a letter to the DOJ, Cornyn asked for an investigation into whether the plans would violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian residents by "prohibiting them from living in the community and discriminating against them."
The senator wrote to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and said, "Religious discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation's values, and I am concerned this community potentially undermines this vital protection."
According to a report in the Washington Examiner, the plan already has been investigated at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Paxton, but it was unclear what those results included.
Abbott, at one point, said, "To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities."
At a recent public hearing on the plan, Texas resident Brandon Burder explained, "I have very grave concerns about the EPIC City project. First of all, under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, all citizens of the United States have the same right to purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real estate. Under the Civil Rights Act of 1968, known as the Fair Housing Act, Congress passed a law prohibiting discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, or religion."
Project planners said they would abide by the Fair Housing Act, but also, "will conduct thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with our goals of safety and security."
The project earlier had stated, online, that it would "limit sales to only persons we believe will contribute to the overall makeup of our community and are legally eligible to invest and buy property in the United States."
Cornyn was blunt, in his letter, stating, "I am concerned that the Center, through its for-profit affiliated entity, is attempting to create an enclave that will discriminate on the basis of religion, and, further, is hiding this intent from the public."
County planners have not yet been given the paperwork needed to start an evaluation.
But the facts are that there are "no-go" zones across the United Kingdom, where Muslims have moved in, essentially taking over local governments, and making the regions unfriendly to anyone not a Muslim.
