Meditation and prayer room welcomes students of all faiths

There is a quiet room tucked in the underground of the University Student Commons. A room previously packed with heavy traffic, computers, cameras and telephones is now soothingly silent and welcoming.

Students walk in and set their heavy book bags on the floor with a thump and sit momentarily in silence.

This room, now being used for meditation, prayer and quiet individual time, was once the room students visited for technology help. When the technology center moved, no one had a claim on the room.

Arslaan Khan, a senior political science major and member of the Muslim Student Association, knew the move was an opportunity to help Muslim students struggling to find places to pray.

Khan and student body President Ali Faruk created a proposal to turn the room into a room for prayer.

The VCU Card Office won instead. Students continued to struggle finding a place to pray.

Then the card office relocated, and MSA set the proposal into action again.

“We said, ‘OK, there’s no way they can stop us,'” Khan said.

With the help of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and other religious groups on campus, the plans for the room started to fall into place.

“When the school saw the room was for more than one religion, they thought, ‘This is a good thing to do,’ ” he said. “And they gave the room to us.”

Muslim students, who pray five times a day, are thankful for the Interfaith Meditation Room. Khan said it was difficult enough when you had class, but having nowhere to pray only complicated everything.

“Before the room, we would have to book places to pray, and sometimes we didn’t have anywhere,” he said. “We would either have to go back home or just go outside and do it. Before the interfaith room, you really struggled.”

Khan said now he leaves class for about five minutes to come to the interfaith room five times a day.

He said some professors question where he is going but not as often now.

“When they found out how many Muslims are in VCU, they started letting us go,” he said. “They (professors) have definitely made their exceptions on us.”

For that, Khan said, he is grateful.

“It’s great. Now I just go back and pray.”

There is one problem, Khan said: the size of the room.

“The rooms are very small,” he said. “We have to go one after the other.”

Khan said it is recommended in his religion to hold one consolidated prayer because you get more good deeds by doing it in a group, but the room is still very helpful.

The MSA Web site lists the Interfaith Meditation Room as a place to pray, but they know about the limited space. The Web site also offers the MSA office located in the Student Activity Center in the basement of the Commons and an unofficial location on the 3rd floor of the library in the back of the Media Center.

Khan said the room is welcoming and convenient for all religions.

“I see all kinds of different faith people,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of different faith people.”

Ronald Young Jr., a senior political science major, said it is a great way for multiple faiths to come together.

“At VCU we’re so diverse in cultures and religions. It’s a good place to have where everyone can reflect,” Young said.

“The interfaith room gives everyone that opportunity to go in there, sit down, meditate over the day and think about their family or friends, whoever they may be praying for,” he said.

The best thing, Young said, is having the university listen to students’ needs.

“They’re actually trying to meet the needs of their students,” he said. “That’s great. They understand that there is a need for people to have a quiet place to reflect.”

The room cannot be reserved. It is open to everyone during the Commons hours. It must be used for religious or meditative purposes, Khan said.