Muslim students in the University of Stuttgart dispute more than rooms for prayer.

Following several incidents with Muslim students praying inside the libraries from the University of Stuttgart, the rector tightened the property rules.

The university is a secular location of learning, and prayer is usually performed elsewhere, he says.
Stuttgart – New property guidelines have been in effect in wgu msn capstone the University of Stuttgart because July 26th. Accordingly, ?events of a non-university nature? and ?religious events and gatherings? are topic to approval. In concrete terms, the university produced it clear to Muslim students that the university was not a location to pray. There had been precise causes for this. “There have been conditions in both university libraries previously handful of months in which Muslim believers prayed in between bookshelves,” reports spokesman Hans-Herwig Geyer. ?Muslim fellow students attempted to stop students and workers from entering these library rooms around the grounds that they shouldn’t disturb praying believers.? Geyer clarifies: ?The university is really a secular location of studying. You will find possibilities for prayer in the rooms of silence in the ecumenical center and within the churches and mosques near the campus. ?

The Stuttgart University Director Wolfram Ressel had clearly communicated this to the employees: “Religious events and gatherings cannot be arranged using the university if the use of buildings for study and teaching as well as other legally stipulated university purposes are impaired.” specifically issues the usage of rooms within the two places in the university library, the casino IT, Pc workrooms, lecture halls or student study and perform regions. “Religious gatherings that impair the usage of the university rooms are prohibited with reference towards the home guidelines,” explained Rector Ressel.
A Muslim student commented on the ban on praying as follows: The rector, who had currently criticized the higher proportion of foreigners amongst the students, now likely fears ?the Islamization from the West?. The Muslim Student Community Stuttgart and the Muslim Student Union, two recognized university groups, could not be reached for a statement, not even the chairman on the student parliament.
Message from the university director led to misunderstandings among Muslims.

The Rector’s message that students could go to the Ecumenical Center around the university campus in Vaihingen to pray has evidently led to misunderstandings within the Muslim community, as reported by Pastor Stephan MÃ¼hlich, who runs the center as a Protestant university pastor with each other with his Catholic Colleague Thomas Richter-Alender heads. For example, the Muslim Student Union asked concerning the room of silence. “We clearly told them that the space was open – but that there have been other individuals there also.” A student saw the artistically beautifully made space and recommended that a curtain could possibly be drawn to separate males and girls, reports Pastor MÃ¼hlich. It was explained to him that this was not the case in this nation.
It is actually completely fine that individual Muslim students, mostly females, come by to pray, says MÃ¼hlich. Nonetheless, he also reports that he once retired towards the area of silence using a book even though two Muslims have been praying. When a third came and wanted to send him out as a man, he explained the situation to her: “We decide who utilizes the space – and we never enable ourselves to become occupied.” Apparently the Muslims believed that the university had the room for Muslim students made offered. But then he got into conversation using the women https://www.nursingcapstone.org/ really well, which resulted in actions like breaking the quick with each other in Ramadan.
Pastor: Ecumenical center cannot solve the university’s complications.

The Ecumenical Center will not be part of the university. It was built in 1978 on a leasehold property by the Protestant and Catholic parishes. Within the middle on the constructing, which also consists of a cafÃ© along with a language school, could be the area of silence. It can be applied for weekly church solutions, by yoga groups, but additionally by men and women for silent prayer. “Our room can hold a maximum of 20 to 30 people,” says Pastor MÃ¼hlich – “we’re not solving the query of 1,000 or 2,000 Muslims in the university.” The rush has not but materialized. MÃ¼hlich makes it clear: “We never see ourselves as the ones who can solve the university’s problems – we have neither the employees nor the rooms for that.” However they are prepared to moderate the subject. Previously year, rooms of silence had been closed in a lot of places in Germany due to the fact there were disputes in between interest groups about their use. In such a case, only an advisory board could help. The decisive criterion, on the other hand, must be willingness to talk to people who consider differently.
In the University of Hohenheim, conflicts with praying students are certainly not identified, says spokesman Florian Klebs. Asta chairwoman Sarah Graf will not know of any such difficulties. Almost two years ago, as a part of an institute renovation, a space of silence was opened: 16 square meters, inside a former storage space within the basement, using a prayer rug and the sign: ?This is really a prayer rug. We thus ask you to not stroll on this carpet with footwear. Thank you. ?As early as 2011, around the initiative in the Turkish https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/doctoral/dissertation/formatting university neighborhood, the Asta setup such an? interreligious prayer area ?in a different space, but this was then needed as a nursing and changing area. Apparently you’ll find no usage regulations.