Abbott appeals to Duffy to probe Islamic washing stations at Texas airports
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has ordered an examination into the installation of Islamic washing facilities, known as wudu stations, at two major Texas airports, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He expressed concern that these facilities,intended for religious purification rituals,may constitute illegal discrimination by favoring one religious group over others,citing the constitutional prohibition against government endorsement of religious practices.Abbott highlighted that the facilities at DFW and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport include prayer spaces and religious items,raising questions about government compliance with nondiscrimination laws.
following Abbott’s intervention,the planned installation at DFW was canceled,which initially was expected to cost around $300,000 and be privately funded. Abbott also previously threatened to withdraw funding from other Muslim-related events and designated certain Muslim groups as “radical,” further indicating his stance on religious issues. He has also signed legislation restricting religious-based ownership or residency in property developments, amidst ongoing disputes over Muslim community projects in Texas.The controversy underscores tensions over religious accommodations in public spaces and government oversight of faith-based facilities.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) is directing state and federal officials to review grants awarded to entities operating airports across Texas over the installation of Islamic washing facilities at two major Texas airports.
In letters to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Dallas-Fort Worth airport CEO Christopher McLaughlin, Abbott called for a review of state grants to airports over plans to install facilities used for wudu, an Islamic washing ritual performed before daily prayers.
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“It has come to my attention that the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) plans to install ablution facilities for Islamic wudu washing rituals onsite,” Abbott wrote. He also pointed to a facility already installed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, which includes an adjoining prayer room furnished with Qurans, prayer rugs, prayer beads, and a turbah, a small clay tablet used in some Islamic prayer traditions.
“These ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion,” Abbott said. “That is illegal. Both airports are government-owned facilities. The federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination. Just as the government cannot favor the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favor one religious view of the sacred over all others in our ‘pluralistic society.’”
Abbott argued that the airports’ government ownership and receipt of public funds subject them to constitutional and federal nondiscrimination requirements. He also said governments cannot use private organizations as a “subterfuge” to “directly or indirectly” facilitate unlawful discrimination.
The planned DFW facility was initially expected to cost $300,000 and be privately funded, according to initial reports from Fox News. As of Friday night and shortly after Abbott’s threat, the project has been canceled, the airport told the outlet.
Wudu stations are specialized plumbing facilities that allow Muslims to wash their hands, face, arms, and feet before prayer. Similar washing facilities and interfaith spaces are available at other major U.S. airports.
Abbott’s intervention comes after he previously threatened to withhold $530,000 in state grants from the city of Grand Prairie over a private Muslim event at a city-owned water park. The city ultimately canceled the event.
Texas water park cancels ‘Muslim only’ event after Abbott threatens to pull funds
Abbott has also taken several other actions targeting what his administration has described as religious discrimination or the influence of Islamist organizations. In November, he designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as “radical extremist” and foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier, he signed legislation prohibiting residential property developments from restricting ownership or residency based on religious belief.
The law came after controversy surrounding a proposed Muslim community in Plano that included single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school, senior and assisted-living facilities, and a community college. The development remains the subject of legal disputes.
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