Airline passengers make their way through the security lines in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Sunday, March 29, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Washing stations
Regarding “Whitmire defends IAH from Abbott threat over Muslim accommodations,” (Aug. 17): Gov. Greg Abbott’s objection over the ablution facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport is about much more than a place to wash one’s feet. It is about what kind of city — and what kind of Texas — we want to be.
Mayor John Whitmire is right to defend the facility.
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An ablution room is not a government endorsement of Islam. It is a Texan-hearted accommodation that allows travelers who practice a faith requiring ritual washing before prayer to do so in a clean and appropriate place. Similar purification rituals exist in other religions, including Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism. Providing facilities that make international travelers feel welcome is not religious favoritism; it is good hospitality and good airport management.
Abbott is entitled to raise questions about public spending and equal treatment. But threatening airport funding because an existing facility accommodates Muslim travelers risks sending a very different message: that welcoming Muslims is somehow incompatible with being Texan.
Houston should not be asked to choose between being American and being welcoming. We can — and should — be both. Whitmire deserves credit for recognizing that principle.
M. J. Khan, former Houston City Council Member
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Stereotypes
Regarding “Texas Republicans offer blueprint of plan to ban Islam, Shariah ,” (Aug. 6): I’ve had many Muslim neighbors, coworkers and physicians. They are nothing like the crude stereotypes Republican politicians want us to believe. Do Republicans want us to think that men like Hakeem Olajuwon and Azeez Al-Shaair are terrorists?
My Muslim neighbors, coworkers and physicians came to the United States for the same reasons that attracted our forefathers: better educational opportunities, ease of starting a business, freedom to observe their religious beliefs and a belief that here, hard work can lead to a better life for their families.
Texas Republicans are simply trying to distract us from more important matters.
Climate change is derided by President Donald Trump as “fake.” But droughts are killing people, preventing Texas ranchers from expanding their herds and are reducing water supplies. Climate change predicted isolated large rainfalls and deluges, exactly what killed Texans in the Hill Country.
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The war in Iran has increased the prices of gasoline and food, affecting families that live paycheck to paycheck. Promises by democratic socialists to reduce prices, provide free childcare and make rent and housing more affordable are attracting votes across our nation. The solution Texas Republicans are offering: “No Halal restaurants.”
The United States has a history of hatred and prejudice toward various groups that politicians have exploited for their own purposes. We should have reached the stage in America where we treat people as individuals and not blindly as negative stereotypes. Apparently, some Republican politicians can’t!
Democratic concerns
Regarding “Democratic primary turnout has soared in some states. Can it carry over to November?” (Aug. 15): What I hear from many Democratic voices gives me great cause for concern. Anticipating taking over the House and possibly the Senate, many are calling for what I fear will be endless investigations, witness subpoenas and made-for-media dog and pony shows.
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While I strongly believe accountability should be of the utmost importance in our government, I believe it would be a grave mistake to make it a priority. Revenge, retribution and retaliation define what the current administration has done, not what the left should do in a spate of tit-for-tat.
Instead, I think the agenda must be designed to ensure that the national nightmare we are enduring is stopped and prevented from ever repeating itself.
I believe the first and primary step must be getting money out of our politics. Corporations are not people. Monopolies (military, media and tech) must be broken up. Gerrymandering must be outlawed nationwide. Strict ethics rules must be established and stringently enforced in our courts, all the way up to the Supreme Court. Health care as a right, not a privilege. Free and equitable education and livable minimum wages must be established and protected. In many ways, most importantly, our Constitution must never again be trampled on or ignored.
Only after the real weaknesses that have enabled the abuses we have been suffering from have been addressed and eliminated can meaningful accountability be obtained.
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Advocacy groups
Regarding “Houston groups hold events opposing Flock Safety cameras,” (Aug. 17): These are the groups — the Houston chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Immigration Legal Resource Center, Stand Up! Houston and the Houston Liberation Center — that are leading the opposition to Flock cameras? These left-leaning organizations do not represent the majority of the views of your readers; they are simply the loudest and most organized, with too much time on their hands.
Oversight may need to be improved, but the implications of some sort of dystopian tracking system that takes away the civil rights of law-abiding citizens are ridiculous. This is another attempt to defund or weaken the police. This is not the first time that the Houston Chronicle has served as a mouthpiece for the DSA.