Religious Freedom on Campus: Is there Room For the Important Things in Life?

Prayer mat in the social room of the Humboldt University; notices about prayer utensils at the university. Photo: Melike Balkan (cc by nc)
Prayer mat and notices about prayer utensils at the Humboldt University. Photo: Melike Balkan (cc by nc)

Secularism means that state institutions and organizations may not represent or favor any religious interests, so in this sense they must be neutral. If this separation is based on the idea of religious freedom, then the question arises as to how barrier-free this religious freedom is implemented – for example in educational institutions. Melike Balkan looks for clues in her everyday life at the university.

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In what follows, a little secret will be revealed, and perhaps it will lead to a little more understanding. It is about how Muslim students find a way to pray despite the lack of prayer rooms at universities. Ask the security guards at a library, they will probably know. They will probably tell you about rugs they found in abandoned stairwells.

Between stairwells and passersby

This problem tends to be invisible. It mainly affects Muslim students who find it difficult to fulfill their prayer obligations on time. They have to improvise and find solutions without attracting attention. I am one of them. I am one of many.

It’s 1:45 p.m., and I have 15 minutes to find a quiet corner to say my prayers. That sentence alone makes me feel uncomfortable, because who will understand? After exiting the elevator on the top floor and climbing another flight of stairs, I hope to find a quiet place. I listen carefully to see if anyone comes. With a lot of nervousness, I try to forget the world, my worries, the pressures of everyday life, and take five minutes for my most important priority in life.

For me, prayer is more than a ritual. It is a moment to find peace and leave the daily grind behind. But it always feels like walking a tightrope: between the need for peace and the pressure not to attract attention. I keep asking myself why it has to be like that.

Is it a deep-seated conviction that raising the issue won’t make a difference anyway? Are we perhaps unconsciously practicing anticipatory obedience, believing that the ‘superiors’ would deny the request for a prayer room anyway? Is it easier to accept the existing situation? There are assumptions behind these questions that may explain our reluctance. And they point to difficulties in communication that we have, of course, long since accepted. It is ‘normal’ for us. That is why some people deliberately refrain from saying their prayers and do so only at home, just as we are repeatedly advised to do when we enter into a conversation: “Why don’t you just pray at home?” Of course, this defeats the purpose of the five daily prayers, which are spread throughout the day. Accordingly, the need for appropriate spaces is great, and many would feel better if such spaces existed.

Small room, big connection

Maybe the people who actually ‘catch’ one of us wouldn’t mind either. Once an IT guy stood behind me while I was praying. He stood still and waited until I was finished before he walked past me. I don’t know what was going through his mind at that moment, but he was respectful, didn’t ask any questions, and just waited. Has this ever happened before?

There is a large prayer rug in a social room at Humboldt University (HU), which is probably intended primarily for students with babies or as a general break room. I put my name on the list for the social room to get the key and read only Turkish and Arabic names on the list. The key is not there, of course, but I knock anyway. The door opened and I saw five female students in the small room, who greeted me warmly and immediately made room for me between them. This was just one of many encounters I had. We are strangers and yet we find a connection. And I think, maybe that is the true beauty in the midst of the hustle and bustle of everyday life – a shared priority that brings us together.

During exam time, the social room is always busy. Because so many students are in the library and have to go elsewhere. Then the back stairwells of the Grimm Center become impromptu prayer rooms. It is common to exchange small notes saying that you can use someone else’s prayer rug. Some also leave good wishes such as “Good luck with your studies, may Allah help us.” This does not go unnoticed in the library either: “[…] for fire safety reasons, it is not allowed to leave flammable items such as carpets and other textile items in the stairwell. Please take them with you after your rituals, otherwise they will be removed on behalf of the HU library.”

No room for silence?

It is a simple need that requires little organization: a small, empty room is enough to meet the needs of the growing Muslim community. If this is not possible for reasons of secularism, I understand. Of course, I know and respect that a secular state must maintain its neutrality in religious matters. At the same time, however, I also expect respect and understanding when I seek a place in an unused stairwell where no one can disturb me and where I can feel safe without fear of hostility.

Recent events at various Berlin universities give cause for this fear. At the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, for example, a ‘room of silence’ was set up as a religiously neutral place for prayer, meditation, contemplation, and reflection. After its opening, however, prayer rugs, prayer shawls, prayer beads, and a Koran were stolen. At the Technical University, however, signs have been put up indicating that there is no prayer room, indirectly signaling that prayer is not welcome there.

In light of these incidents, the problem does not seem so invisible after all, and the universities seem to know what is going on. However, the fact that prayer is not wanted is not openly communicated, but is taken as a consensus. The other side of the same coin is the open secret that students pray in a hidden place.

Although students are finding creative ways to maintain their practice, I hope that in the future universities will be more understanding of these needs and create spaces for inclusion. This requires open communication and an exchange that requires willingness on both sides.

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