By R. J. Morales | TX3DNews.com
PLANO — The East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) hosted a community-guided candidate forum that brought together contenders from multiple congressional and state legislative races to discuss civil liberties, education, immigration, and civic participation. While a wide range of candidates attended, the absence of most sitting elected officials became a notable point of discussion among those in the room.
EPIC leadership emphasizes service, neutrality, and civic participation
The forum opened with remarks from Yahya Sheikh, vice president of the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), who noted EPIC’s role as both a polling location and a community service provider.
“EPIC is a polling station and the average number of votes that we’ve gotten in our polling station alone… is 1500 plus,” Sheikh said. He also emphasized that EPIC is nonpartisan. “Very importantly EPIC is a nonprofit organization… we do not endorse any candidate.”
The forum was moderated by Mustafa, who told candidates the night was about accountability. “When you’re here to speak to us today and solicit our votes, we’re not just here to vote and call it a day,” he said.
Candidates in attendance span multiple races; only one elected official present
Candidates who spoke at the forum included Evan Hunt, Mark Newgent, Jason Pierce, Dr. Andrew Rubell, Anthony Bridges, Abteen Vaziri, Zeeshan Hafeez, Orlando Lopez, Jordan Wheatley, and Rick Grady.
State Rep. Mihaela Plesa was the only currently elected official in attendance.
“I’m also the only currently elected official that showed up tonight,” Plesa told the audience. “Because I believe in a true representative democracy and I believe that when you have state representative on your sign or on your push cards, you should really represent the people that you’re saying that you’re going to.”
TX-03 candidates address anti-Muslim rhetoric and representation
Candidates running in Texas’ 3rd Congressional District used the forum to address ongoing rhetoric by Rep. Keith Self, who did not attend the event, focusing on statements they said have repeatedly targeted Muslim communities and raised constitutional concerns.
Mark Newgent, who is challenging Self in the Republican primary, accused the incumbent of singling out Muslims and stoking fear, saying Self “has become the most prominent promoter of anti-Muslim hate in Congress” and had “specifically targeted this mosque by name.” Newgent said such rhetoric risks encouraging hostility toward a religious community exercising its First Amendment rights.
He said that, if elected, he would protect “everyone’s right to worship freely,” calling the First Amendment “absolute, without any room for misinterpretation.”
Evan Hunt, the Democratic nominee for the district, said the issue reflects a broader political environment rather than a single individual. He said that while he is “running against the hateful Keith Self,” he is also running against “the Trump MAGA Republican party which is responsible for this wave of hate that we have against immigrants in this country.”
Hunt said he publicly challenged Self’s anti-Sharia rhetoric early on, noting that he was “the one online correcting him way back in like April last year.” He framed the issue as a constitutional one, saying, “What makes America great is not uniformity. It is freedom — the freedom to worship how you want to worship, and to be who you want to be.”
Brief disagreement occurs; forum remains orderly
A social media post later claimed the forum became chaotic, but that description did not reflect what occurred.
The only moments of audible disagreement involved Abteen Vaziri. During one exchange, he criticized Sharia law and asserted that women are treated as unequal under it, prompting pushback from some attendees who perceived the remarks as conflating religious belief with state repression and as directed toward the host community.
Later, during a separate discussion about Israel and Gaza, Vaziri shifted the focus to Iran, questioning why Muslims killed there had not been discussed and asking whether attendees had prayed for them. That comment also drew brief reaction from the audience.
Aside from those two moments, the forum proceeded respectfully, with sustained engagement, applause, and discussion typical of a live candidate event.
Education, immigration, and community service resonate with attendees
On education, Plesa criticized Texas’ school voucher program and concerns that Islamic private schools could be excluded.
“It was never school’s choice. It was never parental choice. It was never your choice,” she said. “It was always going to be Greg Abbott’s choice.”
Texas House candidates Orlando Lopez and Jordan Wheatley emphasized public education, immigrant families, and representation for working-class communities.
Grady focused his remarks on EPIC’s service to the broader community, particularly during severe winter weather. “I really really want to thank you for what you did in the overnight warming station,” he said. “You saved a lot of people.”
Forum closes with emphasis on participation and visibility
The forum concluded with closing statements and informal conversations between candidates and attendees in the rotunda, with organizers reiterating that the event was meant to inform voters and encourage civic participation, not to endorse any campaign.
By the end of the evening, the contrast was evident: numerous challengers engaged directly with the Muslim community, while nearly all sitting elected officials — with the exception of Rep. Mihaela Plesa — were absent, and online claims of disorder did not reflect the respectful, structured forum that occurred.