An Austin federal judge declined to dismiss a lawsuit against the state’s funeral agency and its former presiding officer that alleges religious discrimination against the East Plano Islamic Center, or EPIC.
In a footnote, Ezra also wrote there is no evidence suggesting — and neither party is alleging — that EPIC is applying Sharia law in its practices, despite repeated public statements from Texas Republicans.
“In resolving the present Order, and without purporting to be an expert in Islamic teachings,” Judge David Alan Ezra wrote, “the Court simply notes the absence of any evidence or allegation that Islamic burial rites qualify as ‘Sharia law’ of the sort that threaten Texas law,” adding that the agency’s cease-and-desist letter against the mosque fails to identify any specific aspect of its services that violate state law…