McKinney City Council voted 7-0 late Tuesday to approve a site plan for a 32,573-square-foot mosque and Islamic center after more than 150 people signed up to speak, U.S. Rep. Keith Self warned against political Islam and police intervened as a woman confronted former Mayor George Fuller.
The vote came around 11:30 p.m. after hours of public comments from supporters and opponents who filled the council chamber, an overflow room and hallways inside City Hall. The packed meeting featured repeated boos, cheers and confrontations as speakers debated religious liberty, Sharia law, traffic and parking.
Councilman warned vote was legally constrained
Before the meeting, District 2 Councilman Patrick Cloutier told residents that the association’s earlier rezoning request had failed and that it had chosen to redesign the campus under the property’s existing zoning. “This is not a zoning case,” Cloutier wrote. “Unlike a zoning case we cannot consider what people want or don’t want.”
Cloutier said city staff and attorneys had reviewed the site plan and expected to recommend approval unless a new compliance problem emerged. “If council were to vote to reject a compliant site plan there is extraordinary legal jeopardy,” he wrote. “This job is sometimes policy maker, sometimes legislator, sometimes judge and in this case it is essentially administrative.”
The councilman also said he would personally pay for private security at a constituent meeting the day before the vote. “Many people at the meeting will be very emotional. Some for and some against,” Cloutier wrote. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Police escort former mayor from building
Fuller spoke in support of the McKinney Islamic Association and defended its members as longtime participants in the community.
“For those who may not know, the McKinney Islamic Community has been a member of our community for years,” Fuller said. “We’re talking about families that have served this community.”
The crowd booed Fuller and some attendees called him a “traitor” as he left the room. Video showed a woman confront Fuller and press a “Don’t Sharia My Texas” sign into his shirt. McKinney police officers stepped between them and escorted Fuller from the building.
🚨MCKINNEY, TEXAS🚨Tensions are high at the McKinney City Council meeting as supporters of the Islamic Center and opponents of the project clash. The McKinney City Council is set to consider approval of the Islamic center and mosque.
Follow:@Carlos__Turcios@DallasExpress pic.twitter.com/hGfuVI0PGh
— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) August 5, 2026
Self warns council; Richardson requests delay
U.S. Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), whose district includes McKinney, received prolonged applause and a standing ovation before warning council members about what he described as the progression from religious accommodation to political intimidation.
“I know you’re in the accommodation phase, but the intimidation phase follows quickly,” Self said in video posted by Amy Mek from the meeting. “It’s already happening in cities in Texas.”
🚨 HEROES ROSE IN MCKINNEY TONIGHT – AND CONGRESSMAN KEITH SELF DELIVERED THE TRUTH WITHOUT FLINCHING
While residents packed the room, U.S. Congressman Keith Self looked the Mayor and City Council dead in the eye and refused to soft-pedal reality.
By the way, take a moment to… https://t.co/tlPCdzsDZX pic.twitter.com/p7naq1xXzK
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) August 5, 2026
“Child marriage. Honor killings. Don’t tell me it can’t happen here because it’s already happened in Texas,” Self said. “Beating your wife. Polygamy. All condoned under Sharia. Political Islam.”
Self then challenged council members to honor their constitutional oaths.
“This is your time. This is your moment of truth. This is your time for choosing,” Self said. “This is your time to choose to honor your oath that starts with the U.S. Constitution.”
“There is no state cavalry coming to save you,” he added. “This is your time.”
Self co-founded the Sharia-Free America Caucus and introduced the Preserving Our Constitution Act, which would bar federal courts and adjudicative bodies from enforcing foreign or religious laws that conflict with the U.S. Constitution.
State Rep. Keresa Richardson (R-District 61), who represents part of McKinney, asked the council to pause final action for a “limited period of due diligence,” citing state scrutiny of an Islamic tribunal connected to the association’s imam.
Richardson said McKinney Islamic Association Imam Mohamed Al-Gebaly was listed by the Islamic Tribunal as an advisory chair and community scholar. She cited Gov. Greg Abbott’s November 2025 letter warning that the organization could be crossing from protected religious mediation into conduct that could violate Texas law
Richardson also cited Attorney General Ken Paxton’s April 2026 inquiry into an alleged effort to impose Sharia through the tribunal.
“Given the active state investigation into this Islamic Tribunal” and the “clear leadership overlap,” Richardson said the council should delay its decision.
Satirical Constitution remark draws boos
Mahdi Rostamizadeh, who spoke in support of the project, delivered a satirical speech mocking warnings that the mosque would bring Sharia government to McKinney. He joked that the city would create a Sharia board, force overweight women to wear burqas and require balding men to wear turbans.
“Once we have implemented that, we will change the United States Constitution with this mosque,” Rostamizadeh said, drawing loud boos.
He then continued the joke by pretending to discover that the Constitution’s 18th Amendment had already prohibited alcohol before being repealed.
An Iranian-born resident opposed the project, citing his experience living under Sharia law in Iran. He called Islam a “death cult.”
Evan Hunt, a 20-year Air Force veteran who said he flew combat missions in Afghanistan, defended the project on First Amendment grounds.
“What makes America the greatest country in the world is freedom,” Hunt told the council. “Fear and prejudice have no place in public policy or in Texas. This is not the American way.”
Hunt later told The Dallas Express in an interview that he had never heard discussion of Sharia law outside political campaigns. His council remarks drew jeers from some attendees.
Neighbors focus on traffic and parking
Several nearby residents focused on traffic, parking and neighborhood access rather than the broader religious debate.
“There’s no way five and a half acres can handle two thousand people,” resident Karen Roe told the council.
George Moore said he believed the project would significantly affect his neighborhood but separated his objections from attacks on the congregation’s constitutional rights.
“I think the First Amendment takes care of a lot of what you heard today,” Moore said.
Yasser Wardany, speaking for the McKinney Islamic Association, said traffic studies commissioned by the organization showed a smaller effect on nearby roads.
“We are committed to being a good neighbor,” Wardany said.
City Planning Director Lucas Raley said the project provides 206 parking spaces, 79 more than the 127 required under McKinney’s formula of one space for every 50 square feet of main assembly area. Raley said the parking provided could support up to 10,300 square feet of assembly space before the applicant would have to add more spaces.
Engineering Director Gary Graham said the traffic analysis examined the development’s expected peak Friday prayer period and found no significant effect on the adjacent street network. Graham said the association was willing to pay for uniformed police officers to manage traffic when necessary.
At least three mosques operate in McKinney
Public listings identify at least three operating mosques in McKinney: the McKinney Islamic Association’s McKinney Masjid at 2940 Eldorado Parkway, White Masjid at 9515 Westridge Boulevard and Anjuman-e-Taheri at 1410 South Tennessee Street.
Sufaraa Center at 2220 Bush Drive is another Muslim worship and education site. It advertises prayer services but describes itself primarily as an Islamic learning center and is not included in the mosque count.
The Virginia Parkway campus is one additional mosque in development. A McKinney Islamic Association representative said the group plans to continue using its Eldorado Parkway mosque after the new campus opens. Friday services are expected to be divided between the two locations, with roughly 30% of attendance remaining at Eldorado Parkway and 70% shifting to Virginia Parkway.
If the new campus is completed as planned, McKinney would have at least four operating mosques in addition to Sufaraa Center.
Revised plan complies with existing zoning
The approved site plan covers approximately 5.5 acres at 5301, 5311 and 5321 Virginia Parkway near South Crutcher Crossing. It includes a 15,000-square-foot sanctuary, a 10,236-square-foot classroom building and a 7,337-square-foot gymnasium and multi-use facility.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the association previously pursued a roughly 40,000-square-foot proposal that required rezoning but withdrew that request in 2024. The revised 32,573-square-foot plan uses the property’s existing planned-development zoning, which permits religious assembly.
City staff ultimately found the revised plan fully compliant with the applicable zoning and development rules. Assistant City Manager Jennifer Arnold said the applicant was not seeking a rezoning, variance or design exception.
Planning Director Lucas Raley said the city applied the same religious-assembly parking formula used for other houses of worship and found that the project met its height, landscaping, buffering and tree-preservation requirements. The city’s analysis said the council had a ministerial role in approving a site plan that met those requirements.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 7-0 on July 14. Tuesday’s council action approved the site plan but did not authorize immediate construction.
The applicant must still obtain approval of a minor plat before development begins and satisfy additional engineering, drainage, utility, architectural and building-permit requirements.
Provided by Dallas Express
