Ron Strom was in freakout mode in a May 4 WorldNetDaily article:
For just $55, you can enjoy a special day with friends and family at a taxpayer-supported Texas waterpark – well, provided you’re Muslim.
The facility, Epic Waters, in Grand Prairie, Texas, is promoting its June 1 event online with “fine print” that includes “FOR MUSLIMS ONLY – A FAMILY-FRINDLY ENVIRONMENT.” It coincides with the Muslim period of Eid al-Adha.
The promotion also touts that the event, scheduled from 3 to 8 p.m., will enforce a “modest dress code,” “Halal food” and even a “private prayer area.”
As the Daily Mail reports, the waterpark’s website notes that men and women will not be separated during the event, but attendees are told to “uphold Islamic etiquette” by “lowering the gaze” throughout the day.
“Please follow the event’s modest dress code, and practice ḥayāʾ (modesty) through respectful behavior,” the site says.
Opposition to this publicly funded facility engaging in religious discrimination is fierce.
Conservative commentator Dana Loesch led the backlash, questioning: “How is a taxpayer-funded, city-owned entity allowed to discriminate against non-Muslims at a public water park?”
[…]Commentator Sara Gonzales labeled her tweet about the event “ISLAMIFICATION ALERT.”
Strom quoted no actual people in Plano who are actually familiar with the water park about the planned day, and he certainly didn’t allow any Muslims to speak about it. And he certainly didn’t mention that some Christians also prefer modest swimwear.
The activists at WND and elsewhere saw their Islamophobia pay off, and Bob Unruh touted it in a May 7 article:
A plan to turn a taxpayer-owned city water park into a Muslim-only zone has failed.
The events that could create a “Muslim only no-go zone” is unconstitutional, explained Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and if the plans would move forward, he would withhold state grants.
Abbott said, “That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional. I signed HB 4211 into law – banning Muslim only no-go zones in Texas.”
The fine print of the governor’s instructions include that the city of Grand Prairie must cancel the event and commit to never allowing something similar again, or lose $530,000 in state grant funding.
A report at the Gateway Pundit explained, “Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans.”
Like Strom, Unruh similarly refused to let any local residents or Muslims speak out on the issue, and he also failed to mention how some Christians also prefer modest swimwear.