It’s been fought long and hard by students at many institutions of learning. The issue of religion and education has been very controversial – striking up heated discussions between students and faculty to allow students the right to practice their religious duties in school.

The new meditation/meeting room “is for everyone” said Haroon Ismail, former Muslim Student Association president and president of the student body at the Alexandria campus. “[Since] it’s a state institution, we can’t have a room designated only for faith-based activities. So, we got this room on the condition that it would be a meeting room/meditation room. Whenever there isn’t a meeting here, students can come and pray and prayers are meetings. It can also be an open space for students to come and have a bit of quiet time.”

Last year, the idea of the meditation room was a big issue. Students were really disappointed that they weren’t given the opportunity to pray in a designated room that is secluded from all the buzz of a college. The proposed room was turned down a few times and — now that there is a room — everyone can’t wait to just walk in with their yoga mat, rosary beads or prayer mat and get situated.

“This has been going on since my dad’s time here at NOVA,” Ismail reminisced “It feels really good to have accomplished this after almost 20 years.”

“As for a grand opening, well, we never really had a grand opening for any room,” Ismail joked.

Even, Mariam Abdelsalam, the president of MSA, felt “quite excited” about the new prayer room.

The meditation room is a place of understanding, knowledge and tolerance. Students may go in the room to have a time of contemplation. They may go to pray or meditate. It’s a room that allows students the chance to understand and mix in with students of different faith. That’s a very special room for the Alexandria campus.

Annandale students still pray in the library in a space with a small partition designated with a sign. So, students at the Alexandria campus are well aware because, according to Ismail, “The word has spread that room will be open for meetings, mediation, prayer, whatever.”

“Speaking for the Muslim students’ perspectives, many Muslims had to commute in order to perform the five obligatory prayers, which was really inconvenient. It’s not just Muslims that face that problem. Even for Christian students — they may want to pray, too. When there is a diverse institution, like NOVA, they have to be able to accommodate and fulfill the needs of the students,” said Ismail.

“I’m very excited for the chance to have an interfaith room where people of different religions can have the opportunity to discuss their religions and realize that we can all be together to learn about one another, and I think it’s a great way to open doors to peaceful interactions between students at least, for a start, at the Alexandria campus,” Abdelsalam said proudly.

George Washington University and Georgetown University have bathrooms that specifically accommodate Muslim students who cleanse themselves before prayer.

“The chance of that happening here, I mean, they have water right next to this room. I know there is a pipe right above us right now. I’m not a plumber, but I think they could work something out in the future,” remarked Ismail.

“Even though, there are students of Jewish or Christian faith who pray on the Sabbath or on Sundays, some may pray every other day or ever day. But Muslims have to pray five mandatory prayers a day. That’s why we usually lean more toward wanting a room to pray in.”

“As of right now we’re just picking out what we need, like certain prayer mats. Last semester, we dealt a lot with preparation for the room. But right now, we’re just putting on the finishing touches.”

Finally, the tradition of fighting for a room to pray since the old days is being put to an end. After all the trouble, all students have the opportunity to meditate or pray. A little quiet time never hurt anyone.

For our our first article on the state of prayer rooms at NOVA, see our article, You Gotta for the Right to Pray.

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By: Hala Numan

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