Muslim prayer space opened by Vice-Chancellor

12 October 2012

Muslim students and staff at Oxford University now have their own dedicated prayer space within the University.

The new Prayer Room is located in the University’s Robert Hooke building and was opened on 9 October by the University’s Vice-Chancellor. The space will be available to students and staff of the University for prayer, as well as for events and discussion groups.

The Prayer Room, located in the University’s science area, has been refurbished and equipped with separate male and female ablutions facilities. It will be accessible 24 hours a day, and the Oxford University Islamic Society will manage the space along with the University’s Estates Directorate.

Aayan Hussein, president of the Oxford University Islamic Society, said: ‘The Oxford University Islamic Society is delighted by the decision of the University to allocate a prayer space to cater for the needs of Muslim students. For a long time there has been no accessible, central location in Oxford for students and staff at the University to perform their daily prayers and for the Society to provide educational events for its members. University officials were extremely receptive, recognised this need and enabled the idea to become a reality. The prayer space will undoubtedly transform the lives of Muslim students studying at Oxford and nurture an environment in which students may fulfil their religious obligations and excel in their studies.’

Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Hamilton, said at the opening: ‘Oxford is an international university – 34% of our students (and 61% of postgraduate students) – and 40% of academic staff are citizens of countries other than the UK. It is vital that we meet the needs of all those students who are of the Muslim faith, as well as the needs of home Muslim students. We welcome the role that the University’s Islamic Society has played in meeting those needs and in making this prayer room a reality.’

The University has a number of other student-led societies which meet the religious, social and cultural needs of those of different religions, including those from the Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh faiths.

For more information please contact the Press Office, University of Oxford on +44 (0)1865 280528 or press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk