Please help RMITIS save the Muslim Prayer Rooms by filling out the following Online Peititon http://www.petitiononline.com/RMITIS20/

We will be sending this to RMIT, and other Groups to help us pressure the Uni.

May Allah reward you all ameen

Why is it reasonable not to provide services at a state run facility simply because it is a secular institution? This reflects a poor understanding of the historical meaning of secular, which is not anti-religion at all. Is it because the services aren’t used by everyone? Should the canteens then be shut simply because I don’t eat out and always bring a cut lunch? What about wheel chair access ramps, I don’t need them and neither do most of the population.

From another perspective, would it be more convenient for the population of the university at large if several hundred Muslims prayed on the lawns two to three times a day or furtively looked around for empty rooms? How would this impact on those made uncomfortable by public displays of religion, or who just want to sit down and relax yet feel constrained by the loons bowing and prostrating?

What then is the basis of this “more reasonable” option?
Secularisation, user pays?

The point is, if it is acceptable to maintain seperate facilities for one faith community, why not another who use these facilities at a high rate, both as a percentage of believers and in the regularity of use? It is not the same as providing a dedicated space for the reformed church of satan or even more seriously Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs.

We are the only faith community with such a regular and high volume use of these spaces, it is not unreasonable to make available a suitable place, whether we pay for it or not.

But anyway, what does this have to do with RMIT?

Shadower, I agree that these institutions should not be required to provide what ever services anyone happens to want/demand or feel entitled to. A place of prayer is OUR responsibility, which goes back to having a Muslim frame of reference, so that we keep our understanding on these issues in a proper perspective.

However, if there are sufficient Muslims on campus it would be in the University’s best interest to do so, or at least make a space available for us to rent, just like what happens in the real world outside of these places.

How can women’s requirement to pray in private [unless there is no alternative of course] be accomplished with a multi-faith prayer room? Having an unsegregated prayer room only works at my campus because there are only a handful of Muslims there at present. It is not selfish to ASK [demanding is simply rude] for this since we tend to use these facilities at a much higher rate than anyone else. The fact is, in hospitals where pre-existing chapels exist, the priests generally want these kept as Christian spaces.

The argument that they have to provide one because the Muslim women want somewhere to take their hijjab off is a weak argument, they asked for a place to pray and as far as I know a female is meant to be wearing the hijjab when praying, so what exactly is the point behind this argument to being with? No institute should have to provide an Islamic prayer room rather than a multifaith room. And I find it quite selfish of the Islamic community to be demanding this.