DMU Muslim prayer rooms re-open after refurbishments

The Muslim prayer rooms at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have re-opened after undergoing two months of refurbishments.

The two prayer rooms have been fitted with an induction loop system to assist hearing and have been made more wheelchair-accessible, while also increasing the capacity to about 400 due to high demand, writes DMU Journalism student Alice Wright.

Video

This video is by 3rd year Speech and Language Therapy student Umaymah Dakri @disability.living

Imam Mohammed Laher said: “We get approximately 1,000 students and staff. The prayer rooms were too small and there were a lot of students who wouldn’t come because they said whenever they did it was always full, hence the expansion.

“If it wasn’t for the prayer room the students would be reading in lecture rooms, classrooms, corridors, libraries, so having a dedicated space makes it so much easier.”

The Imam provides religious and spiritual support for students and staff, but general wellbeing and guidance is also provided during the day on a one-to-one or group basis.

The Prayer rooms are open for both students and staff on Mondays to Fridays from 8am until 9pm during term time. The prayer room entrance can be found at the rear entrance of Portland building, through the car park.

The DMU Prayer Rooms include a dedicated sisters’ facilities for prayers (Room 00.30), ablution (00.20) and toilets (00.19) in the Portland Building. From this dedicated Prayer Room, students can join in prayers with the Imam. 

In the Portland Building toilets, near the sisters’ facilities, free sanitary products are being offered. It is part of a DSU campaign to address period poverty across De Montfort University (DMU) campus, to improve female wellbeing across the university.  

Prayers take place four times a day.

You can find more details about spiritual support offered at DMU here.