Every Saturday, the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) runs the Help Your Neighbor Drive Through Food Pantry, handing out a box of free food to a line of cars, regardless of religious affiliation, no questions asked, because, in the words of Muhammed: “He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while the neighbor to his side goes hungry.”
But on Dec. 13, the usual distribution of food was disrupted by Christian nationalists shouting things like, “No sharia law,” as mosque volunteers handed food out to anyone who needed it. The mosque was aware that these people were coming; their trip had been planned for weeks after a radical social media figure announced his Islamophobic protest trail was headed to Plano on X.
In preparation, EPIC enhanced security measures, including collaboration with the Plano Police Department. They also canceled Saturday afternoon classes and encouraged congregants to refrain from attending the place of worship unless their presence was essential…