The Council on American–Islamic Relations has condemned Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s opposition to wudu stations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. CAIR called Abbott’s objections an “anti-Muslim political stunt.”
The dispute escalated after Abbott ordered a review of both airports for possible revocation of active state grant funds and referred them to federal agencies for investigation. DFW subsequently abandoned plans for the stations, while IAH already has them.
What Abbott and CAIR said
Abbott said the ablution facilities appeared designed to give one religious group special treatment and accused the airports of religious discrimination. He argued that government-owned facilities must not favour one religious view over others.
CAIR said the stations would consist of sinks and faucets for washing feet and would be open to anyone. The group compared them with interfaith prayer rooms and toilet bidets at airports in other parts of the world.
Why DFW halted its proposal
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport scrapped its proposed wudu-station project after Abbott threatened to revoke state funding for the transportation hub. The airport said it had been evaluating operational benefits, customer-service effects, risks and costs before accelerating the review because of heightened public interest.
DFW concluded that the project would not provide the operational benefits originally anticipated. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, which already has wudu stations, remains included in Abbott’s review.
The broader political dispute
CAIR also criticised Abbott’s focus on the airport facilities while pointing to his support for displaying the Ten Commandments in Texas public-school classrooms. The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education has separately made Bible stories required reading for public schools, according to the source material.
The airport dispute comes as CAIR challenges Abbott’s decision last year to designate the organisation a “foreign terrorist” organisation. The governor’s referral of the airports to federal agencies adds an investigative component to the ongoing dispute, but the supplied material does not state that any federal agency has reached a conclusion.
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