View Full Version : PRAYER ROOM: Oxford University
Salaams guys,
it's vital you help your fellow Muslims out!
The Islamic Society at Oxford University is actively campaigning for a Prayer Room. As part of this campaign they have set up an online petition, which is asking the University authorities to respond to their campaign. The petition aims to highlight the importance of the Campaign amongst students around Oxford and is a way in which you can show your support for the Campaign.
It's unfortunate that such a university boasts its stature, and yet provides little facilities for Muslims. You can go on the www.ox.ac.uk (http://www.ox.ac.uk/) << official website of the University and write an email of complaint (send it to admissions and say, you could not find an appropriate email address - so could they please forward it on to someone who would be able to address this concern)
And SIGN THE PETITION PLEASE (THIS IS IMPORTANT):
http://www.petitiononline.com/ouisocpr/
You can visit the islamic societies website on: www.ouisoc.com (http://www.ouisoc.com)
Thanks.
.: Anna :.
08-07-05, 09:59 PM
they dont have a prayer room at all?? or they are just asking for larger?
well anyway I signed it...
but subhanallah if they dnt have a prayer room @ their uni - it is really schocking!!
I don't think they do. On the petition's main page and aims, it says they pray at an Islamic centre which is only open from 9am-5pm. Hardly adequate if you ask me.
Semantic
09-07-05, 01:15 AM
There's no prayer room - we get a hall on Fridays for jumah and thankfully the ocis is open for taraweeh, but otherwise it really depends on how comfortable you are in praying in libraries etc (I never really minded personally..).
New OCIS looks nice.
Supernova Nebula
09-07-05, 03:50 AM
There's no prayer room - we get a hall on Fridays for jumah and thankfully the ocis is open for taraweeh, but otherwise it really depends on how comfortable you are in praying in libraries etc (I never really minded personally..).
New OCIS looks nice.
bro Semantic are u a student at Oxford?
Semantic
09-07-05, 09:08 AM
I was, all done now alhamdulilah. Still got the t-shirt though.
wow..that surprissed me.... we were in the same situation at Kingston University couple of years ago. For our Salah we have to search for empty lecture rooms. So we campaigned hard for a prayer room. Initially they gave us a room just for Ramdan. All the brothers and sisters at the university wrote letters to the vice chancelor demanding a Prayer room. We quoted that if kingston university was a top one, why hasnt it got a prayer facilities as in QMC, Imperial , Oxford, Cambridge, etc...
They were about hundreds of letters supporting the campaign. In the end they ended up giving us a Multi Faith room, hardly used by anyone else other than Muslims.
Supernova Nebula
09-07-05, 10:11 AM
I was, all done now alhamdulilah. Still got the t-shirt though.
Ohh MashaAllah that's really cool, i have some questions, can i pm you?
Arsalan
09-07-05, 10:17 AM
At my ol uni our prayer room was a small room above the church chapal. But we did peitions, had meetings, constantly pestered the Dean . Because at KCL there was a big big muslim population.
But now its a very big room in the basement, can easily fit more then 100 brothers in there. and at least 40 sisters on teh other side. its very big! Alhamdoulillah.
Semantic
09-07-05, 10:35 AM
Ohh MashaAllah that's really cool, i have some questions, can i pm you?
Of course.
Supernova Nebula
09-07-05, 11:02 AM
bro semantic check your PM pls
When my uni refused to acknowledge our constant complaints, we staged a protest right in front of the main campus - I mean right in front of the entrance. We all gathered together and prayed Maghrib in jama'ah, right on the concrete, as everyone looked on. Some security guards got nervous, I heard a "what the hell?!" There weren't that many of us as several pansies were to shy or intimidated or whatever the heck to participate.
We got our room back, alhamdulillah. It's pretty small, but considering the amount of Muslims who actually use it for salah, it's good enough.
Sadly. :(
.: Anna :.
09-07-05, 11:18 PM
we've got two sisters rooms and a large bros one at my uni
we rule :D our uni is full of muslims :up:
alhamdulillah :)
Ali_Khan
10-07-05, 02:08 AM
We spent ages lobbying for a prayer room at UCL. Finally we got one but it was a compromise, it had to be a secular "meditation room". :rolleyes: We didnt really care much coz we knew all the kafirs were too busy getting drunk at UCLU to do any serious meditating.
We spent ages lobbying for a prayer room at UCL. Finally we got one but it was a compromise, it had to be a secular "meditation room". :rolleyes: We didnt really care much coz we knew all the kafirs were too busy getting drunk at UCLU to do any serious meditating.
is it still that little cabin thing?
kcl...queen mary and city have the nicest prayer rooms...mashaAllaah
dhakiyya
10-07-05, 07:06 PM
Tell them Cambridge university has a very nice prayer room and an excellent Islamic society and a Muslim on the chapaincy team too. (it does I've even prayed there as my husband is at Cam uni) Tell them that you'll tell this to every Muslim sixth former in the country especially the ones that are really good at rowing and rugby, and all the non Muslim sixthformers that are sympathetic to Muslims and believe that Muslims should have a prayer room, especially those who are good at rowing and rugby so they'll all go to Cambridge instead of Oxford and kick their soggy oxonian bottoms in the rugby varsity AND the boat race....
...unless of course they meet the very reasonable plea of Oxford University Muslim students in having their prayer room :D
Chained_Water
10-07-05, 07:38 PM
LOL.. thats a good idea sis :D
Ali_Khan
11-07-05, 12:15 AM
is it still that little cabin thing?unfortunatly yes, the last time i checked, . kcl has a good one but ucl has a much better islamic vibe in my opinion. the competition between the ht and the salafis made for a very eclectic isoc. plus we dominated soas.
Arsalan
11-07-05, 12:30 AM
SOAS is above KCL and UCL in the uni ratings, but only becaiuse it has its 8 main departments getting top ratings, whilst the 20+ dept at kcl and ucl average out to give em comparably lower ratings. i was well surprized. KCL is no. 5 , good enuff i suppose.
:) . KCL isoc is defeo not as vibrant and as live as it was a few years ago. SOAS has always been aite.
Supernova Nebula
11-07-05, 01:11 AM
after the bombings and of course the backlash - anti-Muslim sentiment, I'm scared even to apply at British unis , any advice?
.: Anna :.
11-07-05, 01:44 AM
SOAS is above KCL and UCL in the uni ratings, but only becaiuse it has its 8 main departments getting top ratings, whilst the 20+ dept at kcl and ucl average out to give em comparably lower ratings. i was well surprized. KCL is no. 5 , good enuff i suppose.
:) . KCL isoc is defeo not as vibrant and as live as it was a few years ago. SOAS has always been aite.
u from soas bruv??
ali khan man ucl does not dominate soas! whatever!! :p
imperial isoc is ok aswell... they're prayer room is ok... baba sez it is the best one
actually they dont freemix AT ALL so masha allah its better really(im not sayin my isoc freemixes... jst the other ppl in uni)
Ali_Khan
11-07-05, 02:32 AM
after the bombings and of course the backlash - anti-Muslim sentiment, I'm scared even to apply at British unis , any advice?dont worry just make sure you come with a mahram, about 10% of London's population is supposed to be muslim you will find it a good place.
anna, u know ucl isoc rocks, we always have the best lecturers come. and just wait for ramadan, when its our turn to do iftar its always much yummier than soas. :p
Supernova Nebula
11-07-05, 05:28 AM
dont worry just make sure you come with a mahram, about 10% of London's population is supposed to be muslim you will find it a good place.
anna, u know ucl isoc rocks, we always have the best lecturers come. and just wait for ramadan, when its our turn to do iftar its always much yummier than soas. :p
mahram? :(
Basically you as a student have the rights to campaign for a Prayer room and the Prayer room has to have all the neccessary facilities. As students you own the university. We pay the university for them to serve us. The universities spend substantial amount of money in supporting clubs and socities providing with whatever resources they need, but when it comes to the discussion of a prayer room they seem to think that its not normal for students. You got hundreds of rooms within the university but some them are of no use, and still they say we have no place for a prayer room.
About three years ago the Islamic society we had was disolved by the university because of the high handed role of a particular political group. But for the last couple of years we campaigned hard not only for the ISOC to be up and running again but for a prayer room as well.
MashaAllah, now we got a spacious multifaith room(rarely used by other faiths) but also religious washing facilities ( as they call it) and seperate washing facilites for the sisters as well.
What i wanted to point out here is that with the right kind of approach you can convince your governing board of your uni to give the facilities you need. Also so beware of the Ahmadias who always there to take everything away from you.
.: Anna :.
11-07-05, 01:53 PM
do u do iftar everyday?? mayb I will give it a try next ramadan insha allah :D
supernova i think london is one of the best places 4 muslims 2 go uni because there will be so many muslims around u, more than other cities and so u can b more involved in isoc and keep totally away from the traditional student idea of drinking and acting the fool :)
I suggest u come 2 soas cos u will find many nice sisters (such as myself :p ) 2 hang around with :D
moshyman
11-07-05, 01:59 PM
u from soas bruv??
ali khan man ucl does not dominate soas! whatever!! :p
imperial isoc is ok aswell... they're prayer room is ok... baba sez it is the best one
actually they dont freemix AT ALL so masha allah its better really(im not sayin my isoc freemixes... jst the other ppl in uni)
ahem UCL dominates SOAS, kings, the lot of them...
Although UCL prayer rooms is ahem baaaaddddd....
*IslamicGirl*
11-07-05, 02:05 PM
:start:
:salams
do u do iftar everyday?? mayb I will give it a try next ramadan insha allah :D
supernova i think london is one of the best places 4 muslims 2 go uni because there will be so many muslims around u, more than other cities and so u can b more involved in isoc and keep totally away from the traditional student idea of drinking and acting the fool :)
I suggest u come 2 soas cos u will find many nice sisters (such as myself :p ) 2 hang around with :D
My sis is going to uni InshaAllah in Oct
Saint George's in London, hope she will be well taken care of.
I hear Tooting has a good Muslim population :)
:salams
moshyman
11-07-05, 02:08 PM
:start:
:salams
My sis is going to uni InshaAllah in Oct
Saint George's in London, hope she will be well taken care of.
I hear Tooting has a good Muslim population :)
:salams
Hmm I frequent that place erm very often... I know a bro at St George's doing medicine, I believe he finishes next year... mashaAllah he's planning on giving it up and becoming an 'alim... Let me know if you need any details of places in Tooting...
And erm Tooting has a decent muslim population but it also has a lot of erm 'loose' asians, but a nice place none the less...
*IslamicGirl*
11-07-05, 02:12 PM
:start:
:salams
SubhanAllah a lot of Muslims have offered to help and JazaKhAllahu khair
Will def ask for help if required. :)
Thank you Akhee for your offer :)
:salams
.: Anna :.
11-07-05, 02:31 PM
sis giv ur sis my fone number if she needs 2 know ne sisters in London... u know I am nice so u can trust me innit :p
plus my bro in law is startin @ same uni as her :p
do u do iftar everyday?? mayb I will give it a try next ramadan insha allah :D
supernova i think london is one of the best places 4 muslims 2 go uni because there will be so many muslims around u, more than other cities and so u can b more involved in isoc and keep totally away from the traditional student idea of drinking and acting the fool :)
I suggest u come 2 soas cos u will find many nice sisters (such as myself :p ) 2 hang around with :D
ramadhaan is soo nice at uni...the prayer room is packed out (we have a massive prayer room aswell)...the sis's all making cakes and stuff for each other (no1 can beat my cakes tho *ahem*..they will be missed more than me :rolleyes: ) ... excellent talks...such a lovely environment :inlove: thats probz gonna be the thing i'll miss most abt uni. :(
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