Bristol Airport under fire over ‘bus shelter’ prayer room

Bristol Airport has come under fire for a “multi-faith” prayer area that has been likened to a bus shelter or smoking area.

The airport posted a picture of its new facility outside its main building on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, which immediately sparked criticism from across the religious divide.

The caption read: “Located just off the Silver Zone roundabout, the new area provides customers with a private space to reflect and pray whilst waiting to collect friends, family or loved ones.”

One X user commented: “You’ve just stuck a sticker on the smoking area. You aren’t fooling anyone!”

“I often hear people say they don’t understand what ‘British Culture’ means,” another X/Twitter user posted. “I think we can all agree this is a shining beacon of Britishness: The reflection of a guy in Hi-vis, the bollard placement, the use of a ‘Smoking Shed’ as a ‘Multi-faith area’. THIS is Britain”.

While praising the airport’s “good intentions” to be “inclusive”, Tahir Mahmood, chairman of the Hazrat Bilal mosque in Bristol, criticised the organisation for providing a space which “falls far short of the high standards provided by other airports around the UK”.

“With winter approaching, the shelter at Bristol airport is cold, dark and exposed to the weather,” he said. “We urge Bristol airport to reach out to other airports around the country and follow good practice already in place.”

“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pray the Rosary in a space that will be cold, bleak, and smelling like a urinal. Frankly, it’s an insult,” a user identified as Catholic priest Father Mark Elliott Smith wrote on X.

Daniel Sugarman, the director of public affairs at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, wrote: “In a way, this tweet has indeed been a multi-faith experience in that it has brought people of all faiths together to note how very strange this is.”

A spokesperson for the airport said that the space, located one mile from the terminal, was opened due to an “increase in customers requiring a multi-faith area in this location”.

“This newly created space was provided after consultation with users of the car park to provide immediate shelter and dignity prior to winter — it has been welcomed by the users,” they added.