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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Is this what "multi-faith" means?

From "Ice News" of Iceland:
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)

It doesn't sound very multi-faith to me; it sounds like only one faith in this room.

(The article does mention that it is in a "chapel" but the question is, are there any religious objects from any faith outside Islam in this room?)