The East Plano Islamic Center is suing the Texas Funeral Service Commission for the right to perform services after the commission ordered the mosque to stop them earlier this year.
According to a lawsuit filed in a Travis County district court Wednesday and obtained by the Houston Chronicle, EPIC alleges the cease-and-desist letter the commission sent the mosque in March is an illegal overreach that violates state law and the mosque’s First Amendment religious rights.
“The Commission’s actions have forced EPIC to suspend sacred funeral rites, chilled its exercise of religion, and caused funeral homes to refuse to transport remains to EPIC for religious services—effectively barring Muslim families from practicing their faith in the moments that matter most,” the suit reads…