Religious Liberty for Christians, Not Muslims? | Michelle Boorstein

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s fight over Muslim wudu stations at Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth airports opens into a much larger question: who gets protected by religious liberty in America?

Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein joins Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram to explain why facilities that existed for years suddenly became a political target, how legal experts view Abbott’s First Amendment argument, and how the dispute fits into a broader pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric in Texas. 

The conversation moves from Employment Division v. Smith and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to Kennedy v. Bremerton, the decline of the Lemon test, Ten Commandments laws, school vouchers, Christian nationalism, and the changing meaning of church-state separation.

Boorstein also explains why religious liberty becomes complicated in a pluralistic country and why some of the next major constitutional fights may center on the Establishment Clause.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes aim at Muslim washing stations in airports:https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/08/20/fight-over-airport-washing-stations-is-latest-anti-muslim-salvo-gop/

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Michelle Boorstein is a religion reporter for The Washington Post who has covered religion, spirituality, politics, and public life for more than two decades. Her reporting examines religious liberty, church-state disputes, changing religious identity, and the political influence of faith communities. She holds a journalism and history degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s in Near Eastern studies from New York University. Her recent reporting has focused heavily on religion, government, and the changing boundaries between them.