Abbott equates airport foot-washing stations to ‘white-only bathrooms’ in letter to DOJ
FILE – DFW Airport opens new gates with luxury seating
Four new gates opened Monday at DFW Airport. They're part of a multi-billion expansion project and feature luxury seating, more power outlets, and dynamic windows.
DALLAS - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has equated foot-washing stations for Muslims at airports in Dallas and Houston to "white-only bathrooms" in a letter to the Department of Justice.
What we know:
In a letter dated Friday, Abbott asked Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate religious ablution stations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Abbott also took issue with a prayer room at Bush airport that he says has "copies of the Quaran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turbah." A turbah is small piece of natural earth that is used during Muslim prayers.
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)
What they're saying:
"To put it simply, it is clear that these government-owned airports have used – and continue to use – funds charged to the public to finance, maintain, advertise, and operate Muslim-only spaces on property that should be open and accessible to all citizens," Abbott wrote in the letter. "Airports can no more offer Muslim-only bathroom spaces than they can maintain white-only bathrooms. Your office has authority to investigate and put a stop to these discriminatory practices."
Abbott’s letter comes after he already referred the matter to the U.S. Department of Transportation and threatened to pull state funding from the airports.
DFW Airport abandons plans
The backstory:
Abbott’s initial threat prompted Dallas-Fort Worth to scrap plans to add two more ablution stations in the pre-security area of the international terminal. Two ablution stations have existed since at least 2019 when the interfaith chapel in the terminal was remodeled.
DFW Airport abandons plan to add more Islamic foot-washing stations after Abbott threat
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."
Muslim group calls Abbott’s ire ‘political stunt’
The other side:
This week, the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Abbott’s threat against the airports "manufactured controversy" and an "anti-Muslim political stunt."
"Unlike forcing biblical readings on public school students and hanging the Ten Commandments in every Texas classroom, the additional washing station at DFW Airport would be a universally-accessible and perfectly legal amenity that would benefit any and all travelers, not just one faith group," CAIR said in a statement. "It’s no different than the interfaith prayer rooms found at many airports."
Last year, Abbott designated CAIR a terrorist organization. The group has since filed a lawsuit over the governor’s proclamation.
CAIR calls Abbott’s DFW Airport criticism an ‘anti-Muslim political stunt’
CAIR-Texas blasted Gov. Greg Abbott’s criticism of proposed ablution stations at DFW Airport as an "anti-Muslim political stunt."
What is ablution?
Dig deeper:
Ablution is the act of washing part of the body as a religious rite of purification.
Many faiths include ablution as part of their religious practices. In Islam, the practice of washing the face, hands, head and feet before prayer is called Wudu.
The Source: Information in this story came from a letter released by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and previous FOX Local reporting.