Wudu

Texas' rapidly growing Muslim population, estimated between 300,000 and 500,000 (up from about 140,000 in 1990), has become a flashpoint among Republicans, drawing national attention during the RNC's Midterm Convention in Dallas. GOP officials including Reps. Keith Self, Chip Roy, and Brandon Gill, congressional candidate Brandon Herrera, and state Rep. Brian Harrison are calling for legislative and congressional action against what they describe as Islamism and Sharia law, citing new mosque construction and Islamic development projects across the state.

Specific controversies include the EPIC City development in Josephine, which Attorney General Ken Paxton's office says is linked to alleged securities law violations, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to halt construction; a McKinney mosque relocation approved by the city council that spurred a recall effort against local officials; and a planned Islamic campus expansion near Camp Bullis military base in San Antonio, which Roy wants federal officials to investigate. Advocacy groups and RNC attendees echoed concerns about assimilation and Western values, while some attendees pushed back, saying local voters should decide the issue.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has abandoned an internal proposal to install wudu washing stations for Muslim travelers on the pre-security side of Terminal D, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott publicly objected and ordered a review of state funding to the airport. Abbott argued that "government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others," calling the plan illegal religious discrimination at a taxpayer-funded facility. He directed a review of state grants to both DFW and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate.

DFW said the proposal, which had not reached final approval, was privately funded per a filing the airport attributed to an error by its design firm, and that it does not use taxpayer money for operations. After "elevated public interest," DFW accelerated its review and decided not to proceed, saying the project would not deliver the anticipated operational benefits. Houston's IAH has had a similar wudu facility since 2024; Abbott is pressing to have that facility investigated as well. President Trump also weighed in, amplifying coverage of the controversy.