DFW Airport abandons plan to add more Islamic foot-washing stations after Abbott threat
DALLAS - Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport says it will no longer consider adding more Islamic foot-washing stations after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull funding due to "illegal religious discrimination."
What we know:
A DFW representative told Fox News Digital on Friday that airport officials had been reviewing the proposal for the new foot-washing stations, but they've since decided not to move forward.
"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. 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."
Men perform ablution before praying at the shrine of Sunni Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Baghdad on March 3, 2025, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Ahmad AL-RUBAYE/AFP / Getty Images)
The backstory:
The change in course comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Friday that he has launched a review regarding all state grants issued for DFW Airport, as well as Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, over potential "illegal religious discrimination" at the airports.
Katie Chaumont, assistant vice president of communications at DFW, said earlier this week that new ablution stations were being considered for the pre-security side of the international terminal.
"Like many international airports across Texas and the country, DFW has offered an ablution washing station on the post-security side of its international terminal for years without concerns," Chaumont said in a statement to FOX Local on Thursday. "The airport is evaluating an internal proposal to expand that service to one additional set of restrooms on the pre-security side of the same terminal."
Abbott's announcement claims the facilities "single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion."
As a result, Gov. Abbott has launched a review that could potentially revoke current state funds for the airports and block future funds.
File photo. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
Two ablution stations were added to the Interfaith Chapel in Terminal D as part of upgrades that were completed in 2019. The other upgrades included increased space for scriptures and holy texts, dedicated shelving for shoe storage and kneelers.
What's next:
It is not clear at this time if DFW Airport's decision will remove the airport from Gov. Abbott's reviews.
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX Digital News, FOX 26 in Houston and previous FOX 4 reporting.