I went through this problem for almost 10 years in high school & universities. Apparently, it is still a huge issue, depending on the university.
My view is that universities should dedicate a fairly large-sized room for quite meditation purposes. This way, student organizations can book this room for their purposes whenever they want. There's no need to dedicate a separate room for Muslim students, because, then, of course, students of other faiths have the right to ask for their own prayer rooms. Of course, if students of a particular faith really want their own room, they can always collect funds & lease the room from the university.
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Last October, the McGill student newspaper published a photo essay of Muslim students praying under staircases, in storage rooms & in empty classrooms.
It wasn’t always this way. Muslim students had a dedicated prayer room until May 2005, when the university told them they could no longer use it. A lengthy conflict between the university’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) & McGill ensued. The students filed a discrimination complaint to the Quebec human rights commission. McGill argued it wasn’t required to offer dedicated space because it is a secular institution. The commission dismissed the complaint, & the Muslim students never got their room back.
Dozens of Canadian universities have dedicated Muslim prayer rooms, while others don’t engage with the issue at all. In a rare move, the University of Regina recently installed special sinks for Muslim students to use before prayer. But what works at one university might lead to tension at another.
Last November, the entire team of Catholic chaplains at Western University quit the university’s Chaplains Association, protesting the university’s decision to provide Muslim students with a new & bigger prayer room after the old multi-faith space, which included an area designated for Muslim prayer, was closed for renovations.
“What the university has created is a large space exclusively for the Muslim community, & a small room for the other faiths,” says Rev. Michael Bechard, who still leads the group of Catholic chaplains at Western’s King’s College. “I’ve been at Western since 2000, & twice a year we’ve been asking for more space,” Bechard says. “My issue is not with Islam or accommodation with the Muslim community. My issue is that, in accommodating them, it’s being done in such a way that ostracizes everyone else. It’s simply not fair.”
Then, in early January 2015, Rev. Michael Wagenman, a Christian Reformed chaplain at Western, resigned as coordinator of all university chaplains. Still a chaplain with an office in the multi-faith area, he says he speaks to students every day who are “bewildered this group is getting special treatment.” “Shared multi-faith space should be the first priority, not dedicated space,” he says.
But Western sees things differently. Susan Grindrod, associate vice-president of Western’s housing & ancillary services, says she’s not aware of requests for more space from other religious student groups. “We did not want to take space away from one group,” she says. “We have a large number of Muslim students . . . & this is a group that came forward & we tried to meet their needs.” She says other religious groups are welcome to book more space in addition to their multi-faith space.
The University of Toronto’s approach to religion on campus lies somewhere between McGill’s & Western’s. While U of T has a multi-faith centre, a building with several rooms in which weekly discussions on faith & religious diversity take place, U of T does not provide designated space for any religious group. There are several multi-purpose spaces around campus that student groups, including religious ones, are responsible for booking. “We don’t expect students to park their faith at the edge of campus,” says Richard Chambers, director of the university’s multi-faith centre. “But we don’t privilege any particular group . . . that wouldn’t fly here.” Chambers has yet to receive a request from a single religious group asking for more space.
My view is that universities should dedicate a fairly large-sized room for quite meditation purposes. This way, student organizations can book this room for their purposes whenever they want. There's no need to dedicate a separate room for Muslim students, because, then, of course, students of other faiths have the right to ask for their own prayer rooms. Of course, if students of a particular faith really want their own room, they can always collect funds & lease the room from the university.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last October, the McGill student newspaper published a photo essay of Muslim students praying under staircases, in storage rooms & in empty classrooms.
It wasn’t always this way. Muslim students had a dedicated prayer room until May 2005, when the university told them they could no longer use it. A lengthy conflict between the university’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) & McGill ensued. The students filed a discrimination complaint to the Quebec human rights commission. McGill argued it wasn’t required to offer dedicated space because it is a secular institution. The commission dismissed the complaint, & the Muslim students never got their room back.
Dozens of Canadian universities have dedicated Muslim prayer rooms, while others don’t engage with the issue at all. In a rare move, the University of Regina recently installed special sinks for Muslim students to use before prayer. But what works at one university might lead to tension at another.
Last November, the entire team of Catholic chaplains at Western University quit the university’s Chaplains Association, protesting the university’s decision to provide Muslim students with a new & bigger prayer room after the old multi-faith space, which included an area designated for Muslim prayer, was closed for renovations.
“What the university has created is a large space exclusively for the Muslim community, & a small room for the other faiths,” says Rev. Michael Bechard, who still leads the group of Catholic chaplains at Western’s King’s College. “I’ve been at Western since 2000, & twice a year we’ve been asking for more space,” Bechard says. “My issue is not with Islam or accommodation with the Muslim community. My issue is that, in accommodating them, it’s being done in such a way that ostracizes everyone else. It’s simply not fair.”
Then, in early January 2015, Rev. Michael Wagenman, a Christian Reformed chaplain at Western, resigned as coordinator of all university chaplains. Still a chaplain with an office in the multi-faith area, he says he speaks to students every day who are “bewildered this group is getting special treatment.” “Shared multi-faith space should be the first priority, not dedicated space,” he says.
But Western sees things differently. Susan Grindrod, associate vice-president of Western’s housing & ancillary services, says she’s not aware of requests for more space from other religious student groups. “We did not want to take space away from one group,” she says. “We have a large number of Muslim students . . . & this is a group that came forward & we tried to meet their needs.” She says other religious groups are welcome to book more space in addition to their multi-faith space.
The University of Toronto’s approach to religion on campus lies somewhere between McGill’s & Western’s. While U of T has a multi-faith centre, a building with several rooms in which weekly discussions on faith & religious diversity take place, U of T does not provide designated space for any religious group. There are several multi-purpose spaces around campus that student groups, including religious ones, are responsible for booking. “We don’t expect students to park their faith at the edge of campus,” says Richard Chambers, director of the university’s multi-faith centre. “But we don’t privilege any particular group . . . that wouldn’t fly here.” Chambers has yet to receive a request from a single religious group asking for more space.
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