Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that plans for Islamic wudu washing stations at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport are illegal. He ordered a review of state grants going to DFW and Houston’s Bush Airport and sent both to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. In a post on X, he wrote that government-owned airports can’t favor one religion over others. The post sparked a lot of online talk, with many people pointing out that similar stations already exist at the airports and asking if those would get looked at too. DFW later said it was dropping the new plans.
In the post, Abbott wrote that “Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others” and that “DFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal.” He added that he had directed a review of all state grants to both DFW and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) for possible revocation and referred the airports to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. He concluded, “Texas will not allow illegal religious discrimination at taxpayer-funded facilities.”
In accompanying letters, Abbott stated that the facilities “appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion” and that “That is illegal.” He noted that IAH already has an ablution facility connected to a prayer room. DFW later said it would not proceed with the new stations after accelerating its review amid public interest. The original post does not show the facilities themselves or any on-site activity.
Responses to the Texas Airport Funding Review
Several commenters focused on facilities already operating at the airports. One asked, “Any chance we can remove the fully operational ones at the Houston airport?!”
Another noted, “The Dallas Airport already has two wudu/ablution stations in the Terminal D interfaith chapel.” A third wrote, “I would assume these would be removed too?”
Some users questioned the consistency of the approach. One commented, “DFW already has interfaith chapels with Christian services and existing wudu stations. Adding practical washing facilities in restrooms so people don’t flood the floors isn’t ‘favoring one religion.’ You’ve spent years pushing Christian symbols into public schools. Suddenly the Establishment Clause only applies one way?”
Another asked, “Governor, will you be blocking Kosher foods from being served at Texas airports because it’s kind of the same thing if you think about it?”
The announcement has added to ongoing discussions about religious facilities at Texas airports, with attention remaining on both the canceled plans and the stations already in operation.
