The plans to install Islamic foot washing stations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) were canceled on Friday after Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott intervened, threatening to block state funding if this madness went ahead.
"Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others. DFW's plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I have ordered a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and I have referred DFW and IAH to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for investigation,"the statement from the governor said.
"Texas will not allow illegal religious discrimination in taxpayer-funded facilities. These ablution facilities seem designed to highlight a subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal," Abbott summarized.
Greg Abbott banned the installation of Islamic bathrooms at Dallas airport
Fox News reported that initially the project was to be funded privately and would cost around $300,000, but later the Airport indicated it would use its own funds, raised through revenue sources such as parking and concessions, to finance it. Ultimately, the project was canceled after passengers strongly rejected the initiative.
"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 operational benefits, customer service impacts, operational risks, and costs before approving them," airport officials clarified.
"While such an evaluation was planned, the airport expedited its review due to the high public interest this week and has determined not to proceed with the project, as it would not provide the originally anticipated operational benefits," they concluded.
The airport canceled its plans to accommodate Muslim rituals due to passenger rejection.
