A Sanctuary of Peace at DFW

Recently, DFW Interfaith Chaplaincy was made aware of a disheartening claim posted on social media that a traveler was allegedly denied entry,
or felt unwelcome, during a Muslim prayer service held in one of our airport chapels. We take that claim seriously, as we have upheld a tradition for 50 years of serving all who need a shared, respectful space for prayer or quiet reflection. We never refuse others from observing any service, or place requirements or restrictions on entering the space during any services. We immediately investigated these claims with our Muslim cleric, who is our longest standing chaplain and a person who upholds our shared values of inclusive, shared spaces. Our cleric was shocked and saddened at this claim. He was not aware of the incident, and it was not brought to his attention until after the post was made online. 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. Our chapels are used by a variety of faith groups, often respectfully sharing the space simultaneously to pray and reflect. This is exactly how our chapels are designed to be used and have been used for five decades of service.
We offer weekly Protestant services, Chapel Mass and Juma prayer services for anyone working at or traveling through DFW. These services are always led by our Chaplains, are brief, and all inclusive. We want our airport community to know that we are shaken by this incident, which would run counter to our core mission, values and beliefs that all are welcome in our spaces. We thank the many tens of thousands of passengers and airport workers
who have used our space respectfully for many years, and we look forward to continuing that legacy of service.

Faithfully Serving,
– Rev. Greg McBrayer
Executive Director