University closes prayer rooms

This week, the University of Copenhagen decided to close down the prayer rooms it had set up, primarily for Muslim students. This sparked outrage among left-wing activists, who responded with a demonstration.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged the country’s educational institutions to close their prayer rooms, citing concerns about gender segregation and negative social control among students in the facilities.

The so-called ‘quiet rooms’ will be closed from December 1 because, according to the management at the University of Copenhagen, they ‘currently only serve a limited group of students and therefore do not fulfill their purpose’.

The rooms were originally intended for use by students for prayer, meditation, contemplation, or quiet time, but according to a report, they have mostly been used by Muslim students.

Protests

The demonstration against the decision gathered around 100 people and was led by Jesper Gür, a medical student and member of the university board on behalf of the student council.

‘We protest against the University of Copenhagen’s decision to close a quiet room [prayer room], which is a facility that promotes well-being for many students, and that they have done this without prior dialogue or an inclusive process,’ he told BT.

The decision is welcomed by the Danish People’s Party

Gür admits that gender segregation and negative social control would be a problem if it occurred, but claims that it is something that has not been documented.

‘If there is negative social control, it is a problem we need to solve, but we do not believe it can be done by closing a well-being service,’ he says.

Reconsidered

According to the university, the format must be reconsidered.

‘We need to rethink how we can create a framework that encompasses all students who need some peace and quiet for a while,’ says Kristian Lauta, prorector for education at the University of Copenhagen.