Muslim students of Queen Mary University Belfast are campaigning for the set-up of a private area where they can pray – a move that would end constant struggles to find privacy on campus.
Students have to pray in corridors, classrooms and forgotten corners of the campus because the college will not provide a dedicated space for prayer.
“Having a prayer room on campus is just a sign that the university is accommodating the needs of its students,” says Ahmed Amer from the QUB Muslim society, while speaking on the BBC Radio Ulster Talkback programme.
Amer stressed that other institutes in England and in the Republic of Ireland have dedicated rooms for prayer – as does the University of Ulster.
“I used to walk to the mosque most of the time. Sometimes I used to pray in a corridor. But I was lucky because I studied close to a hospital which had a quiet room so I would make use of the quiet room in the hospital,” explains Amer describing how he has dealt with the issue.
The situation is relatively difficult for women. Nadira Nazir, a Queen’s student from Malaysia tells that they use classrooms for prayers and students literally have to wait for them to finish so they can start their lecture.
The campaign for dedicated prayer space is being backed by the Right Rev Dónal McKeown, the bishop of Derry.
However, Bob McCartney – former leader of the UK Unionist party – opposed the move saying that the Muslim religion has this very strict requirement of a number of set prayers during the day which have to be carried out at times that are not always appropriate.
Mentioning that the university had a strict non-denominational policy, he said: “This is in no way about the right of Muslims to exercise their right to prayer.”
In a response to this, the university said: “A ‘quiet room’ has been created at the Queen’s Elms halls of residence which is about a 10 minute walk from the main university building in south Belfast.”
“Accordingly, the university is currently reviewing all amenities in the context of its charter and statutes to ensure that staff and students from all backgrounds have access to appropriate facilities.”
The university further plans to increase the number of international students studying at the university.
According to the BBC, there are currently about 1,200 international students from more than 80 countries studying at the university, with at least 400 thought to be from the Islamic faith.
