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Emily B, Roving reporter

Muslim prayer rooms reinstated

After a two-year struggle the RMIT Islamic Society (new window) has won the battle to have their campus prayer rooms reinstated.

In 2007 the existing prayer rooms were demolished to create a "multi-faith" space in their place.

Muslims require gender-segregated rooms for prayer, which they are required to do five times a day.

The RMIT Islamic Society's vocal campaign to get the rooms reinstated has in the past included protests across the city, as well as prayer and a sermon every Friday in the university's barbeque area.

The publicity generated even reached as far as newspapers in Saudi Arabia, India and Dubai.

President Mohamed Elrafihi says his group is happy with the agreement reached with the university.

"The outcome has been very good. We've received a lot of good feedback from students and staff," he said. "People are overjoyed."

RMIT, like all Australian universities, relies on international student enrollments to continue to run. Including students from abroad and Australian Muslims, the prayer rooms are already in heavy use.

"We have around 80 to 90 people use it every day, from 9am til 8pm, males and females," Mr Elrafihi said.

The rooms have made study much easier for the university's growing Muslim contingent.

"We basically go out for five minutes, then go back to our classes. Our lecturers understand, our tutors understand," Mr El Rafihi said. "They're very accommodating."

Professor Margaret Gardner AO is the Vice President and Chancellor of RMIT. In a statement regarding the prayer rooms, Professor Gardner highlighted that the university now provided prayer rooms "reserved for the exclusive use… of Muslim staff and students."

While the spiritual centre is open between 9am and 5pm for the majority of students, Professor Gardner acknowledged the need for special arrangements for some students.

"Staff and students are able to apply for after-hours swipe card access to the Spiritual Centre and its prayer rooms through the RMIT Chaplaincy," Professor Gardner said.

Professor Gardner stated that at the beginning of 2011 and the university would review its faith-based services.

"All faith groups at RMIT would be consulted as part of such a review, and will be given the opportunity to make submissions, both written and oral, to the review."

The decision has received some criticism, though, with some people not considering it the responsibility of the university to make room for religious beliefs.

Some students have expressed upset at their fees going to pay for religious facilities.

Forum poster "Shadower" wrote on the Austrolabe (new window) Muslim forum, "No institute should have to provide an Islamic prayer room rather than a multi-faith room. And I find it quite selfish of the Islamic community to be demanding this."

Mr Elrafihi said he believes that religion and education can co-exist happily.

"You can have an educational facility, that is secular, but as well you have people that are studying who are of religious faith," he said.

"As a Muslim, our religious teaches us that we should learn and educate ourselves. So it's actually part of our religion to get a proper education."

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