In a powerful national broadcast, retired Plano Police Lieutenant Douglas Deaton appeared on The Mark Levin Show to deliver a chilling message: EPIC City, the controversial Islamic “faith-friendly” development planned outside Dallas, is not a dream. It is the next phase of a real, already-functioning Sharia-based parallel society inside Texas. Deaton, who previously gave bombshell public testimony at a Collin County hearing—covered by RAIR Foundation—warned again how the original EPIC enclave in Plano has operated for more than a decade with religious gatekeeping, Sharia-based finance, and even a fortress-like home overlooking the Plano Police Academy’s tactical equipment. It seems like EPIC City is that model—on steroids.
Deaton warned that EPIC City isn’t just a housing development—it’s being designed as an “autonomous exclusionary zone.” Built on unincorporated county land, it’s removed from city oversight, and promotional materials suggest it will be reserved for Muslim-only residents. “Most people believe, based on the materials and their current practices in Plano, that EPIC City would be Muslim-only,” Deaton told Levin. “This is a replication of what already exists.”
Mark Levin brought the Plano Sharia enclave to national attention. Appearing on Levin’s show, Deaton explained how EPIC (East Plano Islamic Center) has transformed from a mosque into a self-governing ideological zone. According to Deaton, 74 homes near the EPIC mosque in Plano were sold exclusively to Muslims—a practice he encountered firsthand during his years with the Plano Police Department. The neighborhood includes a massive mosque, Islamic schools, a Sharia-compliant finance company, and a medical clinic—all reinforcing the enclave’s religious and ideological infrastructure.
Most disturbing, Deaton said, was a fortress-like residence constructed by EPIC’s former president that directly overlooks Plano Police Department’s tactical vehicle lot, including bomb trucks and SWAT equipment. “That house doesn’t look like a home—it looks like an observation post. And it was built before the mosque,” he told Levin.
Deaton confirmed that the same individuals behind the East Plano Islamic Center are also behind EPIC City—despite claims that the project is separate. The mosque leadership has attempted to distance themselves from Community Capital Partners, claiming it’s a completely separate entity and a totally separate project,” Deaton explained. “But when I looked at the names and addresses of the principals on Community Capital Partners’ SEC filings, what I found is that their principals are literally the same people who are running and in charge of the East Plano Islamic Center.
When Levin asked if the EPIC City community would follow Texas or U.S. law, Deaton was blunt: “They deny it publicly—but their own materials show Sharia-based finance and governance are at the core of both the existing enclave and EPIC City.” Deaton referenced UIF Corporation—a Sharia-compliant finance firm operating on-site in Plano, guided by a Sharia Supervisory Board, and previously reported on by RAIR. “You’re not imagining this. It’s happening,” said Deaton. He emphasized that the developments surrounding EPIC City mirror patterns observed in parts of Europe.
Levin concurred, noting that such initiatives resemble those seen in areas like France, particularly around Paris, where the lack of assimilation has led to societal fracture lines Europe is now collapsing under. “This is the disuniting of America,” Levin said. “Assimilation is out. Parallel Islamic societies are in. And it’s dangerous.”
Deaton dropped another bombshell: “There’s video of second and third graders at EPIC’s school chanting ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’—while showing maps erasing Israel entirely.” This is what EPIC City’s Sharia School System will be: Classrooms chanting…. "From the River, To the Sea…"
He continued: “Pair that with a Sharia finance company on site and their efforts to free a convicted terrorist who tried to detonate a dirty bomb in New York City, and any rational person should be very concerned.” Deaton didn’t name names, but the reference aligns with RAIR’s previous report on EPIC leadership fundraising for Aafia Siddiqui, the notorious Al-Qaeda operative convicted of attempted murder of U.S. soldiers and tied to WMD plots.
Levin pressed Deaton on the source of funding behind the massive project. Deaton acknowledged: “We don’t yet know where the money is coming from. But the developers—Community Capital Partners—are the same people who run the East Plano Islamic Center. They’ve tried to pretend it’s a separate project, but their names and addresses match up exactly in SEC filings.” Deaton expressed confidence that Governor Abbott’s investigators will uncover the funding trail, especially since such a massive real estate venture, including townhomes, mosques, schools, and parks, cannot be funded “by passing a basket around.”
Following a flood of revelations, Texans across the political and religious spectrum are demanding answers. Talk surrounding EPIC City’s Sharia-based governance model, religious exclusivity, and ideological indoctrination has triggered a wave of public backlash so strong that it forced state officials to act. In recent weeks:
- Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Rangers to launch a criminal investigation into EPIC City and its affiliated entities.
- Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated investigations into potential violations of consumer protection and housing laws, including issuing a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) and requesting records from multiple Texas cities.
- The Texas State Securities Board began examining Community Capital Partners, LP, for potential fundraising and securities law violations.
But instead of addressing these serious concerns, EPIC’s developers doubled down. They hired top criminal defense attorney Dan Cogdel—best known for defending Attorney General Paxton—and brought in to run public relations. Their strategy? Smear critics as “racist” and “Islamophobic” while refusing to answer any questions about anti-Western sermons, Sharia-based financial restrictions, or videos of children chanting “From the river to the sea” with maps that erase Israel.
Even Muslim critics have voiced alarm over EPIC’s push for a closed, theocratic enclave. Jewish leaders are demanding answers on the group’s refusal to denounce Hamas or BDS. And a recent post from Dr. Qanta Ahmed, a prominent Muslim, highlights concerns over the radical leanings of EPIC’s resident scholar. “According to reports from @memrireports… the resident scholar and one of the founding leadership of EPIC City demonstrates at least pro-Islamist sympathies if not outright staunch support.”
EPIC’s leader, Yasir Qadhi, is a senior member of the Fiqh Council of North America—an organization whose stated mission is to “provide guidance… in all matters related to Shari‘ah.” Fiqh is the process of deriving Islamic law, and Qadhi’s teachings promote its enforcement—not just privately, but across entire communities. This is not about “faith-friendly” housing. This seems to be about constructing a parallel society governed by religious law, ideological conformity, and legal insulation from the state.
Rather than engage the public or clarify their intentions, EPIC and its affiliates are hiding behind legal teams and PR firms—portraying themselves as victims while silencing critics with accusations. But as RAIR previously reported: “Criticizing Sharia is no more racist than opposing communism or any other supremacist ideology. Islam is not a race—it is a political-religious system that includes its own legal code.” This is not a fight over zoning. It’s a battle over whether religious law can override state law—and whether Texans will allow it.
Deaton emphasized on The Mark Levin Show that what’s happening in Texas is not an isolated event—it mirrors an ominous trend seen across Europe. “We’ve seen it in Europe,” Deaton said. “And now we are absolutely seeing the same pattern of intent and behavior here in the United States, and it’s worth looking into.” He made clear that the threat is not hypothetical. “This is not about Islamophobia, and it’s not about paranoia. It’s about a pattern of behavior. It’s about open and public statements of intent that have been expressed by some of these organizations.”
Levin agreed, drawing a direct line between Islamic enclave developments in Texas and the failures of assimilation in Europe. “They’re trying to turn the United States into Europe,” Levin said, “and they’re trying to turn Europe, in some respects, into the Middle East.” He continued, “So when you couple that with a Sharia-backed finance company that’s on site and their efforts to free a convicted terrorist who tried to murder American soldiers and wanted to set off a dirty bomb in New York City—I think that would give any person of any faith some rational concern about what is happening here in Texas.”
Levin concluded the broadcast with a sobering warning: “This is the disuniting of America. This is the segregation of America. And this—in the extremist fundamentalist doctrine and ideology of Islam—is a danger to the United States.” Douglas Deaton’s message is clear: this is not about religion—it’s about ideology, community structuring, and parallel legal systems. And unless state and federal authorities act decisively, the Texas model will spread.
