Texas seeks federal probe of airport ablution facilities, Muslim group denounces move

Editor's ChoiceInternationalTexas seeks federal probe of airport ablution facilities, Muslim group denounces moveBy AFP -Aug 25, 2026Add ARY News on Googleimage: googleAAResizeWASHINGTON: Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday sought a federal probe into airport ‌facilities for ritual washing before Islamic prayers, a move that a Muslim advocacy group called an “anti-Muslim political stunt.” In a letter to the Department of Justice, Abbott called on the department to immediately review the ablution facilities ​at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport, casting them as discriminatory. “Because ​the airports receive federal funds, they are subject to numerous conditions attached ⁠to that funding – including the requirement to comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination,” Abbott’s ​office said in a statement. Many Muslims wash their faces, arms and legs before daily prayers. “These are ​not ‘Muslim-only’ spaces any more than a nursing room or an interfaith prayer room is ‘Christian-only’ or ‘mothers-only,'” said the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group. “They are accommodations, open to any traveler, that happen ​to be used mostly by the Muslim community. That is not discrimination. That is what ​accessible public infrastructure looks like,” CAIR-Texas said in a statement. Last week, Abbott referred the airports to U.S. ‌Transportation Secretary ⁠Sean Duffy for investigation and threatened to revoke state funding. Read Also: Texas camp where 28 died in floods files for bankruptcy Following that referral, Abbott said, DFW abandoned its plans to install more ablution facilities. The airport said this week that officials had “determined the originally anticipated benefit may not be achieved” if the stations were built. There are about 4.5 ​million Muslims in the ​U.S., including more ⁠than 300,000 in Texas, the World Population Review says. U.S. rights advocates say I...