Should We Build Meditation Spaces?

On a recent trip to Canada, I was approached by a small group of professionals from the University of Ottawa discussing their prayer spaces on campus.  The question for them had become whether it was better to focus on multi-faith spaces or tradition-specific spaces.  This is a good question and one I’ve been reflecting upon for the past few weeks.  But it first requires that we consider whether we should be building and creating these spaces at all.

On our campuses, Muslims are clearly the most visible group in need of prayer and meditation spaces.  The five times per day ritual of prayer is perhaps the most devout and repetitive in any tradition, but it not without its challenges.  While Buddhists and Hindus also have a frequent practice of prayer, and Christians and Jews as well as other traditions practice meditation, reflection, and prayer themselves, Islamic tradition can often overshadow these other traditions.  Often spaces that are designated or made for students can become overwhelmed and at times “taken over” by Muslims as they go about their rituals.  This has left bitterness and frustration in its wake by other groups and has left some administrators to question whether these spaces are more divisive than intended. 

The problem is that this is not the question.  The question is as the professionals at the University of Ottawa asked: should there be tradition-specific spaces.  Yes, Muslims pray more, and obviously this has an effect on their perceived “takeover” of such spaces, but it is not their fault most of the time.  In reality, Muslim students probably do need a specific place campus to pray, to hold to their tradition.  But Buddhists and Hindu populations are rising as well, and they may soon need space for prayer as well.

Perhaps a solution could be considered in which there is designated “prayer” space, to be used only for quiet meditation and reflection.  These spaces would be outfitted with all required prayer needs.  This space would not be reservable, and would be available for all students.  A second space, or at least other spaces, would be designated as multi-faith spaces in which programming and a variety of activities could take place.  These spaces would be reservable and thus a schedule would be established for things like afternoon prayer, Shabbat services and meals, and any variety of groups,

To return to the penultimate question of whether we need create these spaces is really to ask whether the identities of our students matter.  If we find that LGBTQIA identities are important and that there need be safe spaces on our campuses for student to express themselves, if we believe that there should be spaces for mothers to have privacy in nursing their children, if we believe that persons should have access to dietary needs in our dining halls, then we as institutions must believe that these spaces are important.  Because whether or not an administrator practices a tradition or not, they need be sensitive enough to care for the variety of identities that exist.