They kneel down, bow their heads which are covered with a hijab and pray in the school patio of the Natural Sciences Building or sometimes in the library behind bookshelves.
Having a prayer room available at El Camino has recently become a topic for Muslim students.
Because EC is a diverse school, we believe that students should have the right to pray or meditate whenever they please in a place that allows for privacy and peace.
Santa Monica College, which has one of the most diverse student communities does not have a specific prayer room for student use. They pray in the basement of the Science Building, a SMC Muslim Student Association student said.
Muslims pray five times a day, according to the Muslim Accommodations Task Force (MATF), which is a part of the Muslim Student Association National.
“MSA National is a non-profit organization that strives to facilitate networking, educating, and empowering the students of today to be citizens of tomorrow’s community,” according to their website.
We understand that stop-gap measures like having the MSA request rooms for prayer are also not the best option, because of the lack of man power.
Students would have to fill out a Calendar Requisition Form at the Student Development Office in order to get looked at and potentially book a room, however advisers will need to be present at all times in order for the room to be booked.
MSA National helps Muslim students in particular to be able to freely express themselves and it opens doors for college campuses to understand the importance of accepting their religion.
Having a prayer room for Muslim students on our campus is an excellent idea because it allows for more students to have access to the campus and be able to enroll without the fear of being judged for their own beliefs.
We understand that there are steps in creating a prayer room at EC, but it would be ideal if Muslim students had the privacy to pray.
Having a prayer room available at EC would be the most ideal situation for interfaith students and faculty.
There is no reason why anyone should feel ashamed of what their beliefs as humans. We all need to feel like we belong somewhere.
That’s what keeps us going.
The faith in the impossible and the miraculous is something that puts some people at peace.
We understand that a prayer room should not only target Muslim students but rather students with other religious affiliations.
