The University of Calgary recently inaugurated the new Haskayne School of Business's Mathison Hall Building and unfortunately does not include a Mutli-Faith prayer room/area that was originally planned in 2019.

This petition calls upon the University and the Haskayne School of Business to allocate an area/room as a designated prayer space. This room would serve as a prominent and important area for members of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, and all other religious/spiritual communities that use such spaces on campuses on an everyday basis. 

As an example, there are more than 5000 Muslim Students on campus, making up around 15 to 20% of the entire student population. A significant majority of these Muslim students pray up to 5 times a day on campus. While there are other prayer rooms available on campus and up to- the new Mathison Hall Building can be almost a 12-15 minute walk away from the other prayer rooms. Additionally, 700 Muslim Students attend prayers every Friday according to the MSA (Muslim Student Association) records.

Having a prayer room in Mathison Hall Building (as included in the original construction plan) would be a step forward for religious inclusion and student life on campus. We hope the university can continue its efforts to accommodate religious and cultural groups on campus. We are grateful to the University for always hearing out our concerns and the concerns of diverse groups across University.

We urge the University to engage in dialogue with religious communities on campus and the FSC (Faith and Spirituality Centre) to resolve this issue. Please sign this petition and voice your feedback and experiences in the comments below!