Governor Greg Abbott has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the Muslim washing stations currently at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and recently dropped from being installed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). News of the referral comes nearly a week afte r Abbot publicly threatened to review state grants to DFW and IAH over religious accommodations. Abbott is calling on the DOJ to immediately review these discriminatory facilities at DFW and IAH Airports and take appropriate corrective action. In the letter to the DOJ, Abbott claims the washing stations “are designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion,” then goes on to highlight the lack of other ‘standalone facilities’ that have been installed to meet the particular needs of other religious groups. Abbott also refers to the washing station installation as a discriminatory practice, saying that “airports can no more offer Muslim-only bathroom spaces than they can maintain white-only bathrooms.” Abbott explained his reasoning for referring the matter TO U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for investigation: “It goes without saying: The U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from facilitating this sort of discrimination. The federal government exercises primary authority over security and access within airport terminals, including the authority to inspect and regulate terminal facilities. And because the airports receive federal funds, they are subject to numerous conditions attached to that funding—including the requirement to comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and protecting the rights of all Americans.” Abbott also said he will be reviewing Texas state law regarding this matter. DFW announced they would be dropping plans to install washing stations for Muslim travelers last week after accelerating its review of the proposal amid increased public attention. The review determined the project would not provide the expected operational benefits. Houston Mayor John Whitmire released a statement in response to Abbott’s letter that disproves his claims that IAH’s washing stations were built using federal funds. “The IAH international expansion program was paid for by fees charged to the international airlines. City taxpayer funds were not used to build this facility, nor federal or state grants either,” Whitmire said in a statemrnrt. Whitmire goes on to clarify that IAH has interfaith chapels in addition to washing stations, which are open to all travelers, employees and stakeholders with access to Terminal D, regardless of faith. “Nobody receives preferential access, and nobody is excluded,” said Whitmire. “The facilities at IAH have always been non-denominational and open to all.” ...read more read less