Two workers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport separately directed an undercover The Dallas Express reporter to use ordinary restroom sinks for Islamic foot washing, but the airport did not answer questions about whether that guidance reflects official policy.
During a visit to Terminal E, the reporter asked where he could perform wudu, the ritual washing Muslims conduct before prayer.
“Go there. The bathroom. That works,” one worker said while pointing toward a restroom. The worker also offered to provide a prayer rug and identified an area where the reporter could pray.
The reporter later approached a second worker in an American Airlines area and again asked where he could wash his feet for wudu.
“Just the sink in the bathroom,” the worker said.
When the reporter asked whether the worker meant a conventional handwashing sink, the worker replied, “Yeah.”
Turcios posted video of the exchanges on X.
🚨BREAKING🚨DX went undercover and asked DFW Airport employees if restroom sinks could be used for Islamic Wudu foot washing. We were told to use the restroom, and one offered a prayer space. Does DFW allow all public sinks for FOOT washing?@Carlos__Turcios@DallasExpress pic.twitter.com/DV1DSAq8tj
— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) August 15, 2026
DFW does not answer policy questions
The separate encounters show how two frontline workers responded; they do not establish an airport-wide policy. The Dallas Express asked DFW whether travelers may wash their feet in public restroom sinks, whether airport and contract workers receive guidance about wudu requests, and whether the airport applies additional cleaning procedures after such use.
DX also asked how often travelers request ablution accommodations and whether DFW tracks those requests. The airport did not respond to those questions before publication.
Cancellation did not end state scrutiny
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DFW scrapped a separate proposal Friday to add one ablution station to an existing men’s restroom and another to a women’s restroom on the pre-security side of Terminal D. DFW said it accelerated its review amid elevated public interest and concluded the project would not deliver the operational benefits originally anticipated.
The decision came as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) called the proposed stations illegal, directed a review of state grants to DFW and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and referred both airports to federal transportation officials. Neither DFW’s cancellation statement nor Abbott’s announcement said the cancellation would end the grant review or federal referral.
The canceled proposal did not involve two ablution stations DFW announced in 2019 beside the Terminal D Interfaith Chapel near Gate D40. DFW announced those stations in 2019. DFW’s cancellation statement did not address them, and the airport has not answered DX’s questions about whether the stations remain operational or how frequently travelers use them.
The same 2019 announcement listed an interfaith chapel in Terminal E near Gate 4 but did not identify an ablution station there.
A 2014 article on Virtual Mosque acknowledged that Muslims sometimes wash their feet in conventional sinks at workplaces, schools and libraries. The article urged practitioners to be considerate of others by keeping floors dry and avoiding flooding public restrooms.
A photograph shared in the East Boston Network Facebook group shows a man with one foot inside a conventional public restroom sink. The accompanying post states, “Public sinks now made for feet washing.” The post does not identify when or where the photograph was taken.
Without a response from DFW, it remains unclear whether the workers gave authorized guidance or improvised answers to the reporter’s request.
Provided by Dallas Express
