DALLAS, Aug. 14 (Our Texas Times) — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport will not move forward with a proposal to add Islamic foot-washing stations in Terminal D, ending a planned facilities project that had drawn scrutiny from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
DFW said it accelerated its review because of increased public attention and concluded that the project would not provide the operational benefits originally expected. The airport described the proposal as an internal project that had not been approved for construction.
The decision affects proposed stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, DFW’s international terminal. The stations would have been added to existing men’s and women’s restrooms. They were intended for ablution, also called wudu, a washing ritual that some Muslims perform before prayer.
What was proposed?
A project record filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation described “DFW – Wudu – Ablution stations – Terminal D.” The record was registered July 31, listed an estimated cost of $300,000 and showed an expected start date of Aug. 31, with completion projected for Dec. 31.
Those dates were tied to the filing and are no longer a schedule for the project because DFW said it will not proceed. The sources available do not include a formal cancellation document or an airport board action.
DFW also said the likely cost was closer to $120,000 than the $300,000 estimate in the state filing. The airport said the work would have been paid for with airport funds. DFW attributed the filing’s selection of “non-publicly funded” to an error by the outside design firm Ghafari Associates.
The existing proposal was separate from an ablution station associated with DFW’s Terminal D interfaith chapel. DFW has said that facility has been available on the post-security side of the terminal for years. The airport’s decision concerns the additional pre-security stations, not the existing chapel facility.
Why did Abbott object?
Abbott directed a review of state grants involving entities that operate DFW and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. He asked state officials to consider revoking existing grants and denying future funding, and referred both airports to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation.
Abbott also asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to seek a review by the Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. Abbott argued that government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over others and characterized the proposed stations as possible religious discrimination.
DFW did not describe the project as a religious preference. The airport said it was reviewing an operational and customer-service proposal and later concluded that the additional facilities would not produce the expected operational benefits.
No court, federal agency or other government body identified in the available records has issued a legal finding that the proposal was discriminatory or illegal. The available information also does not establish whether Abbott’s grant reviews or the federal referrals will continue after DFW’s decision.
What happens next?
For travelers, the immediate change is that the additional pre-security stations will not be built under the proposal DFW reviewed. The airport’s existing post-security ablution station was not identified as part of the canceled project.
The grant review raises a separate question about transportation funding. The available records do not identify the specific grants, their amounts or whether any funding has been suspended or revoked. They also do not show any effect on airport operations, passenger service or construction beyond the canceled proposal.
