Plano town hall argues Sharia law already exists in the U.S.

A Plano town hall put Sharia law at the center of the East Plano Islamic Center fight, with local journalist Carlos Turcios sharing video of speakers arguing that Sharia already exists in the United States. The discussion unfolded in the shadow of the EPIC City controversy, which has turned a Plano mosque and a proposed Muslim-focused development into a political flashpoint across Collin County.

The mosque tied to the center is the Islamic Association of Collin County, also known as Plano Masjid, at 6401 Independence Parkway in Plano. Mosque directory listings identify it as Sunni and say it was established in 1997, placing the institution firmly within the long-running Muslim community life of North Texas rather than any new development battle.

State officials have pushed the conflict far beyond Plano. Gov. Greg Abbott announced a Texas State Securities Board investigation into EPIC and affiliated entities on March 27, 2025. He later announced that EPIC City may not begin construction, and on Sept. 12, 2025, he came to McKinney to sign a bill aimed at blocking what lawmakers described as “Sharia law compounds.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also sued the East Plano Islamic Center to stop what he called an illegal land development scheme.

The legal and factual disputes have continued to sharpen. In June 2026, a federal judge found no evidence that the Plano mosque was applying Sharia law in its funeral practices, a finding that undercut some of the broader claims made in the public debate. Paxton also accused a Dallas Islamic mediation group of imposing “sharia law” in April 2026, showing how quickly the same argument has spread from one Collin County property dispute into a wider fight over religious practice and civil law.

The issue has reached Washington as well. A congressional hearing was listed for Feb. 10, 2026 under the title “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution,” and Sen. John Cornyn’s office has promoted the “Defeat Sharia Law in America Act.” In Texas, the debate has become a test of where lawful religious practice ends and political messaging begins, with Plano still at its center.