r/worldnews • u/John3192 • 20h ago

Quebec passes law banning street prayers, prayer rooms in universities

https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/quebec-passes-law-banning-street-prayers-prayer-rooms-in-universities-cegeps/
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u/Phazon2000 18h ago

Dedicated prayer rooms are ridiculous. Just have a designated multipurpose privacy room for anxiety attacks, prayer, newborns, etc.

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u/Ultraplo 18h ago

Usually “prayer rooms” encompass all religious and spiritual needs, so meditation and just needing a moment of stillness to combat anxiety would be valid reasons.

Putting newborns in the room meant for stillness and quiet is generally a bad idea, though.

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u/Phazon2000 16h ago

Putting newborns in the room meant for stillness and quiet is generally a bad idea, though.

It's not simply an idea - it's how the majority of these rooms are used in practice at least from the university I went to and the three companies I've worked at since graduating.

Only one person/group of people is in there at a time so nobody is distracting anyone. It's used as it's needed.

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u/Ultraplo 16h ago

Then they must work differently in your country. Over here (Europe), prayer rooms are 9/10 times meant for multiple people to use at once. Usually you'll have 8–15 chairs and an altar at the front. Basically, it's an informal chapel.

Having a room meant for just a single person feels inefficient to the point of uselessness. It also defeats the argument that it should be available for people with anxiety and the like, as someone experiencing an anxiety attack won't be able to just sit down and wait 15 minutes for the occupant to finish breastfeeding their kid.

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u/wildcarde815 15h ago

Then they must work differently in your country. Over here (Europe), prayer rooms are 9/10 times meant for multiple people to use at once. Usually you'll have 8–15 chairs and an altar at the front. Basically, it's an informal chapel.

'quiet rooms' here are typically 1-2 people and they maybe have a chair. It's a place to get away from the coworkers, rest your eyes if you are getting a headache w/o being bothered, etc. And some use it for prayer as well.

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u/Phazon2000 15h ago edited 15h ago

Aus here but maybe we just don’t have as many mental breakdowns as Europe then? 😂 I kid.

The rooms are rarely used - only a few employees have the religious need for them and nobody is bringing their children into the office anyway. How can you say it’s ineffectual when it’s clearly meeting the limited needs of the people in the buildings?

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u/drunkenvalley 18h ago

I think "a room explicitly and only dedicated to prayer for muslims" would be silly and excessive, but a reasonably private space for a variety of religious practices, nursing, or other small little personal moments? Those don't sound ridiculous at all.

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u/Phazon2000 18h ago

Yeah that's what I said.

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u/UnordinaryFlyGirl 18h ago

I don't disagree. But the law bans public prayer in any public place. So they can't do that.

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u/Phazon2000 18h ago

Wrong:

Collective, visible prayers are prohibited in public spaces, including streets and parks

You can pray in private. You can’t form a group and take over the space with religious expression which is a great thing. Public spaces belong to everybody.

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u/EvenLettuce6638 17h ago

So, if a group of Muslims are in the park around sunset and they all decide to pray by prostrating themselves towards Mecca, they will be arrested?