Abbott Orders Probe of DFW Muslim Prayer Rooms
16th August 2026
Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a state investigation into ablution facilities planned for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, arguing in a letter that the Islamic foot-washing stations amount to unconstitutional religious favoritism at a government-owned facility.
In an Aug. 14 letter to DFW Airport CEO Christopher McLaughlin, Abbott said he had referred both DFW and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. Houston’s airport installed a wudu washing facility and adjoining prayer room in 2024 stocked with copies of the Quran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turbah, according to the letter.
Abbott wrote that the facilities single out one religious group for accommodations not extended to other faiths represented in Texas, and that both the U.S. and Texas constitutions bar government entities from favoring one religion over others.