With the rapid approach of the holy month of Ramadan, a prayer room has opened for Muslims at the University of Iceland. A student in the Finnish language department at the university made a formal request at the Student Council for a prayer room which was later approved by the university. A Holy Quran and prayer rugs were set up in the university’s Chapel making it into a multi faith prayer room, making Icelandic history in the process.
“We are really very happy that we have a prayer room at the University of Iceland,” Head of the Islamic Association in Iceland Salmann Tamimi told IceNews. “It gives the opportunity for Muslim students who have to pray 5 times a day to be able to perform it at the right times. It helps the other non Muslim students and teachers to have a better understanding of Islam, which we are really in need of.” Salmann Tamimi is a graduate of the University of Iceland.
There are about 20 to 30 Muslim students at the University of Iceland from all over the world as well as Icelandic Muslims.
(Photo/Prayer room at University of Iceland, photo provided by Islamic Association of Iceland)
While the Icelanders go to gay parade, the Muslims are making the news again.
and poor Ásatrú and Shamanists ? :(
How about a serpent room for the snake handling Pentecostalists that may choose to attend the school.
The real Muslim don’t need any special room. Only those who need to demonstrate their “faith” to others ask for that. Well, this is true for any faith actually. A person doesn’t need a Pope to believe in God.
So – what will be next?
PS. There is large Muslim part of population in Russia. But I have never heard about muslim rooms at public universities.
Alexander, again you are making wrong statements. First, it is actually the total opposite reason we want a prayer room, so we do not have to pray our afternoon prayer in the middle of a classroom or middle of some place public. Although we can, it is rather uncomfortable for all parties. We now have a very secluded private room to pray.
I’d like to point out there are quite a number of universities in the USA that have a prayer room. There is also a prayer room at the University of Stockholm and I beleive in Oslo too. Iceland as well as Norway and Sweden just have a bit more religious tolerance than Russia which hates religion.
Also I’d like to add this is not a Muslim room, but a multi faith prayer room, we welcome all faiths, however in practicality only Muslims are the ones who use it.
However I do highly agree with you about that you do not need a pope to beleive in God.
alhamdulillah. May Allah bless the muslim in iceland effort. if i knew there were muslim in iceland, i may had contacted them before i went there last time. May Islam bring the justice to the world insyaALlah.