In a recent ceremonial signing, Texas Governor Greg Abbott championed a new law targeting housing developments that segregate based on religion. House Bill 4211 has been touted as a prevention method against discriminatory housing practices. Specifically, the bill aims to ban residential property developments like EPIC City from establishing "Sharia compounds," which could potentially defraud and discriminate against Texans. The law was introduced amidst claims that EPIC City sought to create a community only open to Muslims and to impose Sharia law on its residents, as reported by the Texas Governor's official website.
According to the Office of the Texas Governor, "One of the issues at stake is the freedom of religion," Governor Abbott emphasized during the signing, adding that the right to contract was also jeopardized. His position that religious freedom is central to the Texas Constitution was clear, but he also expressed concern that entities like EPIC were attempting to use religion as a form of segregation. According to Governor Abbott, democracy demands that we vigilantly protect such freedoms from being exploited to segregate and impose religious laws unwillingly upon Texans.
The Governor was flanked by a roster of state and local leaders during the announcement. Among them were Congressman Keith Self, Senator Angela Paxton, as well as Representatives Jeff Leach, Candy Noble, Katrina Pierson, Keresa Richardson, and Matt Shaheen, who all lent their presence to the stage in a show of support for the newly inked legislation.
House Bill 4211, according to the details on the Governor's website, seeks to regulate business schemes that create housing developments such as EPIC City, ensuring they do not engage in discriminatory housing arrangements or cultivate unfair investment practices. Such developments have been critiqued for potentially hindering a landowner's ability to later sell property, and for attempting to forcefully subject residents to Sharia law. The Governor's office stated that the new law will protect against efforts to forcibly impose any religious law, including Sharia, onto the people of Texas, actively safeguarding the principle of religious freedom.
