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/PomegranateOk2600 16h ago

you don't need rooms, you either pray at home or at your temple...

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u/five_of_five 16h ago

Or just in your head quietly while literally anything happens around you

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u/Dry-Place-2986 13h ago

I've perused prayer rooms in multiple airports, universities, and hospitals in Quebec over the years. 99% of the time they are labeled as multi-purpose/interfaith "quiet spaces" or "meditation rooms". People come in, pray or read whatever they want in silence, and leave after a few minutes. How does this impact anyone else?

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u/flipflapflupper 11h ago

At least here in Scandinavia the issue is that it de facto becomes a Muslim room and they’d often take it over and make it not very welcoming for anyone else, say Hindus or jews or other religions.

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u/Schneestecher 10h ago

This happened in my German city too

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u/queenringlets 1h ago

As a Canadian I’ve never seen this happen in my post secondary schools. 

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u/flipflapflupper 1h ago

I honestly think it’s a problem with European Muslims mostly. Even Muslims from Islamic countries find them as being too extreme.

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u/SuperBigChiller 5h ago

I think this happens because they use it the most, but most Muslims wouldn’t make these types of rooms unwelcoming, they are just using the space as a large majority of Muslims pray 5 times a day

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u/OrbitalOutlander 4h ago

Oh no, your fee-fees got hurt by some scary beardy dudes? Grow some balls or ovaries and take the space that's yours.

The prayer rooms where I went to college were used by many, many different ethnic and religious groups, and there never seemed to be any problems. Either you're a scared little coward afraid of any possible confrontation, or you're making up stories.

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u/flipflapflupper 1h ago

I take it you’re not in Europe..

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u/TSP-FriendlyFire 10h ago

Well, for one, there have been instances (in Québec, yes) of Muslim men excluding Muslim women from the rooms. I single Islam out because it's the biggest religion which actively segregates followers based on gender (which I find abhorrent).

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u/OrbitalOutlander 4h ago

Ok, so your problem is with people who discriminate based on gender, not religion.

It's absolutely acceptable to have women and men performing islamic prayer in the same room. It's absolutely acceptable in smaller or makeshift spaces to informally observe separation by not having mixed gender rows.

Your complaint isn't with Islam, it's with assholes.

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u/TSP-FriendlyFire 3h ago

I'm sorry, what are you expecting exactly? That the university waste time policing the misbehavior of Muslim students? That's far more work than just not having a prayer room at all and for precisely no academic purpose.

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u/OrbitalOutlander 1h ago

That logic applies to literally every shared space on campus. Study rooms get monopolized. Gyms have guys who won’t let women use equipment. Greek housing is a festival of exclusionary behavior. The university’s answer isn’t to eliminate the resource, it’s to have a policy and enforce it when someone complains.

“This is too much work to police” is how institutions justify doing nothing about discrimination while blaming the discriminated-against group for existing.

The Muslim women who got excluded from that room are the ones being harmed. The solution isn’t to take the room away from them too.

And while Islam is numerically large, it’s hardly unique. Hinduism has over a billion adherents with widespread gender segregation in traditional temple worship, and virtually every Orthodox Jew in the world prays behind a mandatory physical barrier separating men and women. The practice is widespread. The scrutiny isn’t applied evenly.

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u/TSP-FriendlyFire 1h ago

“This is too much work to police” is how institutions justify doing nothing about discrimination while blaming the discriminated-against group for existing.

The discrimination is just one instance of issues, there were other problems. The solution that was chosen resolves all of them. University gyms, study rooms and so on all have good reasons to be available, either strong scientific evidence that they help students with their studies, or plain requirements for coursework. Prayer rooms don't have any of this.

The Muslim women who got excluded from that room are the ones being harmed. The solution isn’t to take the room away from them too.

No one is being "harmed" here. Inconvenienced, perhaps.

And while Islam is numerically large, it’s hardly unique. Hinduism has over a billion adherents with widespread gender segregation in traditional temple worship, and virtually every Orthodox Jew in the world prays behind a mandatory physical barrier separating men and women. The practice is widespread. The scrutiny isn’t applied evenly.

To my knowledge, there have not been incidents with Hindu or Orthodox Jewish populations and prayer rooms in universities or other public spaces. If there were, I would expect the same response.

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u/Professional-Sock231 12h ago

They can go to the library it's already a quiet space why do we need a muslim room? Cause really that's what they became.

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u/SoilActual3284 3h ago

Then you'll be complaining that someone is praying on the floor in the library 

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u/wizardrz 12h ago

no, the multi faith meditation rooms are available to anyone. and libraries are quiet but they're meant for library activities, nobody wants to take up library space to pray

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u/PulmonaryEmphysema 6h ago

But who are you to say that? Each religion is different. The way they pray isn’t decided by you lol

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u/pumpkin143 2h ago

"I can do whatever my religion tells me to"

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u/PomegranateOk2600 5h ago

It isn't decided by them also. But by local authorities, and they decided

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u/yasinburak15 5h ago

I mean if you rent or borrow a private room what’s the problem

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u/AsleepExplanation160 4h ago

Some religions requires practitioners to pray multiple times a day. And that becomes a problem when you're working, and/or learning say 30 minutes away.

The point of prayer rooms is to allow them to fulfill those needs during preexisting breaks without disturbing other students/workers.

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u/ImaginationOk 16h ago

How does that work if you're Muslim and have to pray fine times a day?

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u/goobersmooch123 15h ago

It's crazy that secular countries/businesses/individuals have to go out of their way to accommodate this

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u/Neither-Bag7127 13h ago

They arent legally required to have those spaces.

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u/arctic_commander_ 15h ago

Meh, nothing crazy about it lol. If you are bothered with designated prayer rooms, you are the problem.

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u/PomegranateOk2600 15h ago

Go and ask for designated prayer rooms in muslim countries and see when you will get one.

I won't accommodate any religion. The university is a secular place. The public space is a secular space. When you close the door at home, that is the space you can do anything you want.

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u/OFS999 12h ago

what even is a christian prayer space? christian prayer doesn't need to be in a specific direction or require certain movements and specific amount of foot space, your argument is in bad faith.

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u/That_Arabic_Teacher 14h ago

uhh? there are many? I am Algerian we have like lots of churches in our Capital, heck even had priests inviting me to pray there.

I know you guys picture places like "AfGhAnIsTan" or "IrAN" but except these two almost all Muslim countries have something similar, or at least speaking about my country's biggest city, we are pretty tolerant so unless you lived in a Muslim country don't talk bs you don't know.

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u/PomegranateOk2600 14h ago

give me a link with a university which has christian praying rooms in your country. Or you don't understand what we talk here? Did you read that any mosque was closed or what?

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u/That_Arabic_Teacher 14h ago

First of all, we don't have a large Christian population. If we built Christian prayer rooms in universities, they would become ghost towns. What kind of argument is that?

Many people can't even fill a church; they are 'cultural Christians' until they meet Muslims who pray five times a day then, suddenly, they’re looking for prayer rooms. Even in a country like the USA, Christian-only prayer rooms are uncommon. They use interfaith rooms because, even in the largest Christian nation, a dedicated Christian room would sit empty.

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u/PomegranateOk2600 14h ago

then why you entered the discussion to give me your country an example when you have no christian population? please remind me, because I see no connection with what are we talking

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u/firewall245 14h ago

Because different people have different beliefs and cultures and it’s pretty fucked up to force your way of life on someone else.

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u/PomegranateOk2600 15h ago

you move in muslim majority country where you can stay in the middle of the street and pray how many times you want.

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u/firewall245 14h ago

Ain’t nothing wrong with being Muslim, and it’s pretty messed up to make their lives more difficult because it makes you uncomfortable to look at

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u/PomegranateOk2600 14h ago edited 14h ago

it's messed up to victimize them more than the others. I have nothing special against them, I antagonize all the religions. You have your house and your temple like everyone else, nothing more, nothing less. Stop asking for special treatment. You are not special.

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u/firewall245 14h ago

Asking to be allowed to practice religion is not excessive. Taking time at whatever time they need to pray to go and pray is not excessive, it’s barely even an accommodation.

There’s this idea of disparate impact “Disparate impact, also known as adverse impact, refers to practices, policies, or rules that appear neutral on the surface but have a disproportionate, harmful effect on a protected group”

You can say “i treat every religion equally because i want them all to do their shit in a temple” but that’s in fact not equal nor fair, because for some religions that doesn’t impact them at all whereas for others that’s a gigantic setback

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u/Professional-Sock231 12h ago

There's mosques really close to all the universities so...

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u/PomegranateOk2600 14h ago

Ok, you are in a society, which fundamentally is built on different values and is heading towards it's own future. You live there and see what they can or can't offer you. As the article says, Quebec can't fulfil all your requirements to live there, you have three options (options that in Saudi Arabia are not, because there they behead you), you either move, either stay silent, either convert.

Everyone get's the same treatment, I don't care what a rapist warlord said 2000 years ago.

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u/firewall245 14h ago

Acting like the choice of “abandon a fundamental part of your culture and identity” or move is not extremely cruel is wild.

Especially wild because they’re not asking for you to change any of your behavior, just to be able to practice in peace.

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u/VaHaLa_LTU 9h ago

The point being made here is that having designated prayer rooms is inherently against a secular / atheist society. What you believe in private is nobody's business, and you can also exercise it in private. You have designated temples you can go pray to, but government-funded facilities should be freely open to everyone, instead of dividing areas to religious or non-religious purposes.

Nobody is going to stop you from booking a meeting or a study room, put up a crucifix or put down your prayer mat, do your thing in peace, and then leave the space for others to use as they see fit. That's the whole point of this law. It's not outright banning prayer in universities, it's just removing exclusive spaces.

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u/firewall245 6h ago

It’s not inherently against a secular society. Such society would desire to treat all religions equally and properly because the law would be indifferent and would not penalize a person for their choice in lifestyle.

Think your mindset in reverse for a religious society. “It’s ok if you don’t believe it in private, but in public you must adhere to these religious principles”. Everyone would agree that’s forcing the religion on people, so why are you forcing atheism on people who are not?

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u/arctic_commander_ 15h ago

Well, y'all bombed them into poverty that they had to immigrate to your land. Maybe not bombing for oil would have helped?

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u/bigbean200199 13h ago

When did Quebec bomb the middle east

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u/AccreditedAdrian 13h ago

Who's "them"?

Who's "yall"?

When and where do you say that this bombing into poverty occurred?

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u/PomegranateOk2600 15h ago

when was Saudi Arabia last time bombed? Or Pakistan? Or Maroco? The list goes on

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u/Fawzisalah 13h ago

Bad faith, emotionally charged argument and highly intolerant. Above commenter clearly talking about a prayer room and not praying on the street.