Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatens two major airports over ‘illegal’ Islamic ritual washing facilities, citing ‘special treatment based on religion’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to pull state funding from two of the state’s largest airports over facilities used by Muslim travelers for ritual washing, arguing that the accommodations amount to illegal religious discrimination.
Greg Abbott reviewing state grants
Abbott said that his office is reviewing state grants awarded to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston. He warned airport operators could lose existing grants and be blocked from receiving future funding if they are found to have violated anti-discrimination requirements.
“These ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal,” Abbott said. “Both airports are government-owned facilities. The federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination.”
Ablution facilities allow Muslims to perform wudu, a ritual involving washing the hands, face, arms and feet before prayer. IAH has offered an ablution room, which it describes as available to people of all faiths, since 2024. DFW has operated washing stations since 2019.
Abbott also asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate both airports. In a separate letter to airport and city officials, Abbott warned organizations found engaging in discriminatory practices could face withdrawn grants and other enforcement measures.
Washing stations in airports
The dispute came as DFW was considering adding two additional ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, its international terminal.
“DFW was in the process of evaluating an internal proposal to add a set of ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, the international terminal. Like all proposed projects, the airport ultimately considers the operational benefits, customer service impacts, operational risks and costs before approving them,” a DFW spokesperson said in a statement.
“While that evaluation was planned, the airport accelerated its review due to elevated public interest this week and has determined not to proceed with the project as it would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits,” the spokesperson added.
The proposed renovation
The proposed 170-square-foot renovation included one station in a men’s restroom and another in a women’s restroom. An updated state regulatory filing estimated the project would cost $115,000.
An earlier filing listed the project as privately funded and estimated a $300,000 cost. DFW spokesperson Heath Montgomery said those details were errors by an outside design firm. He said the project would instead have been financed through airport revenue from concessions, parking and airline landing fees, rather than taxpayer funding.
DFW already operates two ablution stations beside its Terminal D Interfaith Chapel. When those facilities opened in 2019, the airport said the chapel served “people of all faiths and religious traditions.”