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A taxpayer-funded Texas waterpark is getting splash-back for a “Muslims only” event next month after a local Islamic group rented out the facility.
A flier for the DFW Epic Eid event on June 1 noted three times that attendance was strictly for Muslims — and modest swimsuits are required.
“Seems like a civil rights violation,” one outraged commenter said.
“Should we expect a ‘Christians Only’ day?” another commenter asked.
Radio host Dana Loesch asked, “How is a taxpayer-funded, city-owned entity allowed to discriminate against non-Muslims at a public water park?”
After the backlash, the organizer of the event, Aminah Knight, told The Post that she is backtracking on how she is advertising it — “to make it clearer that this is a modest dress-only event centered around celebrating Eid.”
The third-annual event is being held at Epic Waters in Grand Prairie, outside Dallas, a massive, 80,000-square-feet indoor waterpark opened in 2017 at a cost of $88 million.
The park was funded by a 0.25% sales tax residents approved at the ballot box in 2014.
The FAQ for the event says “the entire waterpark has been exclusively reserved for Muslims.”
Although the event website says men and women will not be separated during the event, it notes “we ask all attendees to uphold Islamic etiquette just as they do in other mixed gender spaces,” and encourages all visitors to follow a “modest” dress code and lower their gaze around members of the opposite sex “to help preserve a spiritually mindful and welcoming atmosphere for all.”
The website offers suggestions, including an entire “what to wear” section of the site, complete with purchase links for modesty-approved swimwear for women, girls, boys and toddlers.
Event tickets are being advertised for $55 a pop, or $65 with food included, all of which will be certified halal, according to the flyer.
Also advertised is a private prayer room, which will be available between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on the night of the celebration.
A new flier for the event — released on Monday — removed the worlds “Muslim only” and replaced it with “modest dress only” and added the line “come and celebrate Eid with us, all are welcome!”
Knight told The Post that she did not mean to exclude non-Muslims in organizing the event.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Knight said the park regularly rents out the space for private events, and that this event is no different.
A spokesperson for the water park said the event is “not hosted or organized” by Epic Waters, and that it makes its space available for rent to a variety of groups, including faith-based orgs like DFW Epic Eid.
“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 spokesperson said.
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