Last year Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport opened two Muslim prayer rooms segregated by sex in the Islamic tradition. They included a connecting ablution room, to allow travelers to wash their hands, feet and face in preparation of prayer.
"The introduction of the new ablution room and prayer room exemplifies our dedication to ensuring all passengers receive 'Houston friendly' hospitality," said Jim Szczesniak, interim director of aviation for Houston Airports, in a statement.
"Beyond serving our guests, these facilities are also available to all airport employees, embodying our belief in fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace."
The city aviation department said that although the facilities were designed with Muslim travelers in mind, they’re nonetheless available for prayer and meditation by everyone, no matter what their faith or belief system.
But it may also violate the First Amendment.
Non-Muslims might feel totally lost. The facilities include copies of the Quran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turbah, a tablet sometimes used in prayers.
In addition, airport chaplains are working with Houston mosques to determine the proper measurements for the qibla — the direction towards the shrine at the center of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca.
There is no Bible, no Torah, no crucifix, no Star of David — none of the writings or trappings associated with any of the other world’s religions — only Islam.
Odder still, the Muslim prayer facilities are located in the vicinity of the airport’s already-existing Interfaith Chapel. But apparently that was insufficient for the followers of Islam.
Amy Mek, founder and editor-in-chief of the New York City-based RAIR (Rise, Align, Ignite, Reclaim) Foundation, noted last month that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is celebrating the airport’s Muslim facility.
But Mek observed that that’s not necessarily the best of recommendations.
Department of Justice prosecutors named CAIR as an un-indicted co-conspirator in a 2007 Hamas funding case, and last month Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., introduced a bill to declare CAIR a foreign terrorist organization.
None of this escaped the attention of retired career federal prosecutor Reeve Swainston. He sent a message to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“I just learned that @iah (G. Bush Airport) has introduced a dedicated gender-segregated, Sharia-compliant Islamic mosque inside Terminal D,” he began.
"As a Catholic, I say this with full respect: if we’re opening religious spaces in public airports, then let’s do it right," Swainston continued.
"I want a Catholic Church — not just a quiet room or a few chairs facing a cross, but a true consecrated chapel with a tabernacle, the Eucharist, and a crucifix on the altar. I want the Stations of the Cross, holy water fonts, and Mass schedules posted just like any parish."
Swainston was just getting warmed up at this point. He called for a Synagogue with a Torah ark and prayer books, and asked that the church and synagogue be placed right alongside the mosque in the spirit of "coexistence."
He then asked for a protestant chapel to accommodate "Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Anglican travelers," before he ran down the list of all of the other religions of the world.
Swainston said "This is not a call to remove the Islamic mosque, it’s a demand to treat all faiths with equal respect. Inclusivity means everyone, or it means nothing, right?
He closed by telling Abbott and Paxton to either "Make space for all of us. Or stop pretending you’re neutral."
He has a point. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . . "
The Establishment Clause prohibits government at any level — state, local or federal — from taking any action that would tend to favor one religion over another.
The smart thing the city of Houston should have done would have been to do nothing. A large city airport terminal is, after all, a busy place, filled with travelers rushing to make their flights, with little time for prayer or meditation.
The second-best thing they could have done would have been to stop at its initial non-denominational Interfaith Chapel.
The moment Bush Intercontinental catered to the Muslim community they were skating on thin ice.
Their best course of action at the moment would be to close the Islamic facility, donate any religious items to a local mosque, then stay out of the religion business altogether.
Politicians, especially liberal ones, often cry "separation of church and state" at the moment they imagine that a religious organization is being treated too favorably.
The same principle applies to Islam: separation of mosque and state.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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