I’ve never been overly concerned about prayer spaces on campus being a student at the University of St. George.  In first year my classes were directly under the prayer space. And being at UofT we have about 8 locations to pray. The only time I notice an issue with prayer spaces is when I am on the north eastern edge of the campus As VP of MSA in second year the biggest concern we faced with prayer spaces was one had a window back wall and some sisters felt uncomfortable being having their backs exposed to other men. It’s a justifiable concern and has been resolved two years later. I also learned of the disconnect between Muslim individuals on campus. Being at the largest campus in Canada this was bound to happen. But, there was at one point a single prayer space and this became a markaz for Muslims, a single location where all the Muslims had to congregate daily. This feeling is missed by the alumni visiting, but strange to the current student base. On my recent trip to York University I once again realized the importance of a prayer space to Muslims on campus. YorkU has only one prayer space, surprising giving the size and population of the campus. This space is a shared space with other faiths which is what most public institutions provide when they do opt to provide a prayer space at all. However, this leads to space issues when two or more faith groups need to use the space at the same time. For both prayers we had to pray in the hallway in front of the prayer space which I must admit was only a minor inconvenience as the hallway was large and secluded enough. The greatest inconvenience I experienced on my visit was that there was a single wudhu area, and by that I mean single source of water, this caused long lines up. However, I later learned that this was partly due to my male privilege and that the sisters had more crammed spaces and where even forced to pray in a less spacious hallway. So, I asked our Twitter followers and those on our Facebook page what they thought were the best conditions for a prayer space and here is what they came up with:

@lovezainab said, “Well prayer spaces on campus are very important to me and it's important to have multiple so no matter where I am I can feel connected and not have to go hunting for a spot to pray in. :D”

Mohamed Iqbal stated, “As much as there should be separate rooms for both brothers and sisters.. In many university settings, such things aren't undertaken. There should be enough to give privacy to both.”

Rabia Khokhar, a writer for this very site, who attends YorkU voiced her concern with “A prayer space is essential in my opinion. I think firstly there should be a designated room/space where Muslim students can always pray not depending on circumstances. I know that in some university settings there is a shared space which people of all faiths share and at times the Muslim students don’t always have a space to pray. I agree with Iqbal and think that there should be separate places for brothers and sisters but I think what’s more important is to always have a space and if it means that brothers and sister have to share a space then that’s alright because certain measures can be taken to ensure privacy etc. At least this way everyone has the assurance that they will have a place to pray always and not just sometimes.”  This statement came in response to Mohamed’s statement.

It’s clear there is no universal answer to the perfect prayer space and I agree that such a goal would be ridiculous to dream of. In life there can never be full consensus amongst a large diverse group of people. However, it’s clear there are many alternatives and that these alternatives should be considered. What is decided as the route to go should have majority of the support and accommodate as many individuals as possible. Currently, I feel this has not been achieved at YorkU. The students must rally together if they want change, but before they do so they must have a vision of what they want to attain. This must be done in consultation with both brothers and sisters and other groups of faith.