Is there anyone in Texas who was willing to ask “who thought this was a good idea?” Well, Governor Greg Abbott is asking that question now.

It turns out that Islamic washing stations are a thing at international airports. And the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was considering installing more of them.

According to Katie Chaumont, assistant vice president of communications at DFW, the new ablution stations are being considered for the pre-security side of the international terminal.

“Like many international airports across Texas and the country, DFW has offered an ablution washing station on the post-security side of its international terminal for years without concerns,” Chaumont said in a statement to FOX Local on Thursday. “The airport is evaluating an internal proposal to expand that service to one additional set of restrooms on the pre-security side of the same terminal.”

Chaumont said the proposal is still in the evaluation stage and has not been approved.

Two ablution stations were added to the Interfaith Chapel in Terminal D as part of upgrades that were completed in 2019. The other upgrades included increased space for scriptures and holy texts, dedicated shelving for shoe storage and kneelers.

So, exactly whose money is being used for this? Well, apparently there was a small mix-up on the funding and the cost, but don’t worry, the airport will totally pay for it!

According to a record from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the project is estimated to cost $300,000 and would be privately funded. However, Chaumont said Friday the information in the TDLR record was erroneous. According to Chaumont, the project would cost an estimated $120,000 and would be funded by the airport.

“As a reminder, the airport does not use taxpayer dollars for its operations, but relies on revenue streams such as parking and concessions,” Chaumont said in Friday’s statement to FOX Local.

Dear Republicans,

Do not fall for the propaganda claiming there are no wudu stations already in Dallas or Houston airports.

That is simply untrue.

DFW Airport has had fully functional ablution (wudu) stations in its Terminal D interfaith chapel since 2019.

Houston’s Bush… https://t.co/6z2hv9xEl5 pic.twitter.com/Nl52PZpFhf

— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) August 15, 2026

However, once Governor Abbott caught wind of these plans, he had some questions. And his questions were big enough to warrant a review of what accommodations are currently being offered to Muslims – and ONLY Muslims.

Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others.

DFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I've directed a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and referred DFW & IAH to USDOT for investigation.

Texas… pic.twitter.com/XY58WAKJ8N

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 14, 2026

The governor’s office announced on Friday that he has launched a review regarding all state grants issued for airports in Texas, including Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

The review is said to be over potential “illegal religious discrimination” at the airports.

Abbott’s announcement mentions a report for more foot-washing stations planned for DFW for Islamic travelers. The governor’s letter then mentions that IAH also has an ablution facility with a prayer room, which he says is “furnished with ‘copies of the Quran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turbah.’”

Gov. Abbott shared letters that were sent to DFW CEO Chris McLaughlin and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. McLaughin’s letter also includes the mayors of Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth.

In both letters and his announcement, the governor claims the facilities “single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion.”

As a result, Gov. Abbott has launched a review that could potentially revoke current state funds for the airports and block future funds.

He is also advising Secretary Duffy to launch a federal review of the facilities and “take appropriate corrective action.”

“That is illegal. Both airports are government-owned facilities. Both the federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination,” the governor’s letters read. “Just as the government cannot favor the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favor one religious view of the sacred over all others in our ‘pluralistic society.’ Nor may governments use private organizations as a ‘subterfuge’ to ‘directly or indirectly’ foster illegal discrimination more generally.'”

The DFW airport took Abbott seriously, and immediately pulled an Emily Litella – “never mind!”

DFW told Fox News Digital Friday it had been evaluating a proposal to add ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, its international terminal, but accelerated that review in response to increased public attention.

“DFW was in the process of evaluating an internal proposal to add a set of ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, the international terminal. Like all proposed projects, the airport ultimately considers the operational benefits, customer service impacts, operational risks and costs before approving them,” the airport said.

“While that evaluation was planned, the airport accelerated its review due to elevated public interest this week and has determined not to proceed with the project as it would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits.”

On its face, a washing station should not be a big deal – so long as it is available for EVERYONE to use, both in purpose and in practice. That means anyone from the Muslims who want to wash feet, to the parent washing off a kid who just threw up. (It happens.) Governor Abbott is completely correct that no single religion should get special treatment, and if his allegations of a prayer room that caters solely to Muslims at George Bush Intercontinental Airport is borne out, and no other faith has representation within that room, then yes, that’s a problem that should be addressed in a public-use facility like an airport. Back in March, during the TSA shutdown, Kira Davis checked out the DFW chapel and had a eye-opening experience with the expectation by Muslim men that these have become Muslim-only spaces.

I have a habit of stopping by airport chapels when I have the time. Most of them have closed down in the US in major airports, but DFW reopened theirs and they’re basically mosques. I had a very uncomfortable experience praying in the chapel on Palm Sunday, but I refused to leave… pic.twitter.com/EPh2SuLV8X

— Kira (@Kiradavis) March 30, 2026

Her full post reads:

I have a habit of stopping by airport chapels when I have the time. Most of them have closed down in the US in major airports, but DFW reopened theirs and they’re basically mosques. I had a very uncomfortable experience praying in the chapel on Palm Sunday, but I refused to leave while the Muslims were being so nasty. I refused to leave what is meant to be a temple of the Lord, especially on Palm Sunday. I had a long layover so I waited them out. One man grew frustrated after about 30 minutes and left, but not before others came in. They were clearly having conversations about me in Arabic. They weren’t being shy about letting me know they were talking about me. But I sat and prayed and read the Bible and I did not leave until the last Muslim had cleared out. It was actually a very scary experience given how isolated the chapel was, but I think we need to start staking ground.

In a follow-up post on X, she pointed out that there’s no cross in the chapel, but there’s compass on the ceiling so you know which way is east to Mecca. And remember, these are billed as “interfaith” chapels. Are mikvehs being installed at airports? What about baptismal fonts? Why not a Shinto washbasin while we’re at it?

Instead of asking “who thought this was a good idea,” perhaps we should be asking “how did it get this far in the first place?” If it’s happening in Texas, it can happen anywhere in the United States. Governor Abbott is willing to escalate this issue and get results, but how many other public officials turn a blind eye because they are afraid of being tagged as “Islamophobic”?

Featured image: Governor Greg Abbott via World Travel & Tourism Council on Flickr, cropped, CC BY 2.0.