Governor Greg Abbott referred religious ablution facilities at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport to the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation, citing concerns about religious discrimination.
"Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others," Abbott said in a statement. The ablution stations are used for Islamic wudu washing rituals. Two such stations are currently in operation at DFW, and one facility is in operation at IAH, which also includes an interconnecting prayer room furnished with copies of the Quran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turbah.
Abbott said the facilities "single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion" and are not interfaith chapels open to all. Since the airports receive federal funding, they are subject to conditions requiring compliance with laws prohibiting discrimination.
Last week, Abbott referred the airports to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Following that referral, DFW abandoned its plans to install additional ablution facilities.