Muslims intimidate UK college into submission on prayer room

"East Berks U-turn over Muslim prayer room," from icBerkshire, with thanks to Ali Dashti:

A COLLEGE has made a dramatic U-turn on its decision to ban all pupils from using its prayer room after disgruntled students alerted the Express.

Angry Muslim students who threatened to stage a mass protest at East Berkshire College's Langley Campus, in Station Road, have been allowed back into a well used prayer room, dubbed 'the contemplation room', after the issue was brought to the attention of the Express.

Lifelong resident of the Manor Park Estate, and student at Langley College, Raza Ban, 17, said: "We had a prayer room up until December, and on the entrance to the room there was a sign that said 'cultural prayer room'.

"But someone changed that sign to read 'Muslim Prayer Room Only'. Then someone took all the pictures down and changed them to Islam."

"So the college closed it down and gave us an office instead where a maximum of only three people can fit."

Serving an extremely diverse student body, the college comprises a 49 per cent mix of full-time students of ethnic minority origin, whom the Langley Campus claim have always had access to areas suitable for prayer.

But despite alternative suggestions to the prayer room being brought to the negotiating table by the college, Muslim students felt they had no choice other than to practice their faith outside the building.

Raza said: "Friday is the biggest prayer day, we went and asked if the college could give us a room, they said 'no'. "We have thought about staging a mass protest but decided to tell the Express about it first."

And The Express can reveal that just before the time agreed for our photographer to meet students at the college and take pictures of the them praying outside the building at 1.30pm on Tuesday, the college decided to re-open its prayer room.

Posted by Robert at February 8, 2005 9:19 AM
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