After it was revealed that the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was planning to add ablution facilities in one of its terminals, Gov. Greg Abbott is now investigating the airport.
Last week, news circulated that DFW International Airport had approved the installation of ablution stations at a cost of $300,000.
Wudu, or ablution, is an Islamic ritual of purification performed before daily prayers. Wudu stations are specialized plumbing fixtures that feature low-level basins for washing the feet and seating that allows individuals to comfortably wash their hands, face, and arms.
However, the uncovered project sparked scrutiny, leading Abbott to send a letter to the airport notifying officials that he would direct a review of all state grants to entities that operate airports in Texas, including DFW and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
The letter, sent to DFW Airport CEO Christopher McLaughlin, states that Abbott’s office is actively reviewing all grants “for possible revocation of past grant money and cancellation of any future funds that have been dedicated by my Office.”
Abbott also notified McLaughlin that he already referred DFW and IAH to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation and enforcement.
“In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Governor Abbott requested that the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration immediately review the religious facilities and accommodations at DFW and IAH and take appropriate corrective action,” Abbott’s press release states. “The airports are recipients of federal funds and subject to conditions that require full compliance with laws prohibiting religious discrimination.”
After the DFW Airport project was uncovered, scrutiny resurfaced for Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which had already installed a Sharia-compliant Islamic prayer complex in Terminal D of its airport.
The RAIR Foundation reported back in July 2025 that the space was “fully equipped with Islamic prayer-specific amenities, including Qurans, prayer rugs, prayer beads, and a turbah (a clay tablet used in prostration),” and characterized the complex as “a dedicated Islamic worship center embedded inside a major American airport.”
“These ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal,” said Abbott. “Both airports are government-owned facilities. The federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination. Just as the government cannot favor the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favor one religious view over all others.”
With both airports now notified of the investigations, Abbott stated that any “development, provision, or continued operation of such exclusionary religious spaces in government-owned facilities violates state and federal law and the terms of any grant agreements between the State of Texas and your organizations,”
He added that if the airports are found to be engaging in such practices, they could be subject to the withdrawal of grant funding and other enforcement actions.
