A multi-pronged investigation into the proposed Muslim community in Collin County, the opposition to a new mosque in McKinney and the targeting of a Muslim Texas House representative from Tarrant County by the head of the local Republican Party all stand as evidence that it’s an uncomfortable time to be a believer of the Islamic faith in North Texas. And in recent weeks, yet another example of Republican-sanctioned Islamophobia added itself to what has become a running list.
Tom Ascol, a North Texas native who now serves as the head preacher of the Grace Baptist Church in Florida, took to social media last month to share about an experience at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s interfaith chapel that he says left him “grieved and angered.” According to a tweet posted on Sept. 26 and a follow-up statement issued on Oct. 1, Ascol found himself with a few hours to kill in Terminal D of the airport when an announcement advertising a prayer service that “all were welcome” came over the loudspeakers.
Ascol, who said he is unable to grant media requests “for personal reasons” and “will not be commenting further,” says he approached the terminal’s chapel and saw several men kneeling on prayer mats being led in prayer…