Texas lawmakers are urging Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to clarify its policy on chapel use following an incident where a pastor was denied access after an announced prayer service.
Tom Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral and president of Founders Ministries, reported the incident on September 26 at the DFW Meadows Interfaith Chapel, after he responded to an airport PA announcement about a prayer service.
Upon arriving at the chapel, Ascol claimed he found an imam-led prayer service already in progress, with prayer rugs and a symbol on the ceiling pointing toward Mecca.
In a letter, addressed to DFW International Airport CEO Chris McLaughlin, Representative Chip Roy from Texas stated that Ascol’s account indicates he was “denied entry and effectively barred from practicing his faith.”
“DFW’s chapels are supposed to be open to all travelers, not closed off or co-opted for one group at the exclusion of others,” Roy said. “To deny Christians’ entry into a public chapel in one of America’s largest airports undermines the very mission of an interfaith space.”
He emphasized that DFW Airport is a “public institution” funded by taxpayers and federal grants, which, he added, “makes neutrality and equal access a clear obligation.”
He also requested McLaughlin to provide a full schedule of services offered in all seven DFW interfaith chapels and more details on how the access policies were determined, “including who authorized them and what justification was provided for limiting entry during services.”
State Senator Mayes Middleton, representing the 11th District and currently running for attorney general, also called the incident “outrageous,” saying, “We aren’t letting Texas turn into Dearborn, Michigan.”
Last week, Greg McBrayer, the executive director of the DFW Airport Interfaith Chaplaincy, issued a statement calling the report “disheartening,” and stating, “We never refuse others from observing any service, or place requirements or restrictions on entering the space during any services.”
McBrayer added that upon learning of Ascol’s claims, the chaplaincy — which operates independently from the airport as a nonprofit — investigated the incident with its Muslim cleric, who was “shocked and saddened” by the report.
“He was not aware of the incident, and it was not brought to his attention until after the post was made online,” the statement explained. “Had he been made aware of the alleged encounter, he would have made clear that the space is open and available to all people with no restrictions on entry.”
The DFW Airport Chaplaincy, known as the world’s largest airport chaplaincy with over two dozen chaplains representing various faiths and denominations, will add 10 new chaplains in the coming months.
