The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned Texas Governor Greg Abbott for opposing stations for Islamic pre-prayer ablution, known as wudu, at two airports in the state. The civil rights group accused Abbott on Monday of performing another “anti-Muslim political stunt” with his outrage over the facilities. And hypocritical,” CAIR said in a social media post.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) scrapped plans for wudu stations after Abbott threatened to revoke state funding for the transportation hub. He accused the airports of religious discrimination. The Republican governor also referred the two airports to federal agencies for investigation.
That is illegal,” Abbott said in a statement on Friday. The federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination. Just as the government cannot favour the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favour one religious view over all others.” While the First Amendment of the US Constitution bans the government from adopting or favouring any religion, rights advocates say providing religious accommodations at publicly owned facilities does not violate the law.
CAIR noted that the wudu stations, consisting of sinks and faucets for washing feet, would be available for anyone to use. They are no different than the interfaith prayer rooms or toilet bidets found at airports around the world,” the group said. Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education also made Bible stories required reading for public schools.
Last year, Abbott declared CAIR a “foreign terrorist” organisation – a decision that the civil rights group is challenging in the courts. Abbott’s push against foot-washing stations at airports comes amid an increase in Islamophobic rhetoric, where politicians, including allies of President Donald Trump, continue to openly make anti-Muslim statements. Last week, Trump shared a photo of Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed with his family, suggesting that the Michigan doctor should not be elected because his wife – a practising psychologist – wears the hijab.
In a hate crime in May, two gunmen killed three people at a mosque in San Diego.
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