AIBU to question praying and sleeping in the library kids area?

There are plenty of mosques.

A christian woman was removed and arrested by police for silently praying near an abortion centre I think.

I don't know if that was a 'dominance display'.

I said if a Muslim man were homeless. They would need to have access to a bathroom (washing) and a relatively quiet space. You can't do that on the street, in a shopping centre etc. As I keep saying and you keep ignoring, public libraries have long been used by councils as spaces for adults as substitutes for shelters, day centres etc.
Even if he was housed, if he were at the library for another reason, eg to study or to job hunt, he would be expected to pray at specific times of the day. In contrast to Christianity, most Muslims would pray multiple times a day, therefore it's much more likely to be done somewhere public (which is why most council buildings will offer a designated quiet room or multi faith room, though they can be used by anyone for any purpose as long as they're not disturbing others)

What’s your opinion on it if it were true?

Placemarking for (hopefully) the deletion message.

If this is true, it’s weird. Men should not be in a children’s area, unless with children of their own. I really do question the sanity of people praying in public spaces.

Jesus 😂

Of course Muslims who live in Muslim-majority countries pray publicly. They simply don’t need to any where nearly as often, because there are far more mosques and prayer spaces.

It will be an anti Muslim mumsnet conspiracy

I find it so funny that OPs photo of a folded over mat is somehow ‘evidence’ that this actually happened, but some people will read anything they believe online.

Apparently not one where people have the freedom to practice their religion…..,in a designated children’s area of a library.

Highly doubt it!

Maybe try another of the other libraries in Inverness - there’s at least one attached to a primary school so maybe more what you’re looking for.

Also (not that it really matters) I’m pretty sure there’s only one homeless person in Inverness and he’s homeless because the council won’t allow his dog to go with him so he’s choosing to stay with his dog.

You can’t think of anywhere for a muslim
man to go other than the kids area of a library? What do you mean?

unless there is a mosque in walking distance
there is one, less than ten mins away.

So your point is that because there might be books on religion then it becomes religious space? I’m still not clear.
Nor am I clear what this has got to do with channel crossings? Or deeply affecting anyone ?

The op has described and shown a photo where a man went into the middle of the children’s area and rolled up the children’s play mat and started praying. That is not comparable with twirling your hair is it? Saying that, if a random man went into the chijdren area and sat in the middle of the room twirling their hair for ten minutes then that would be equally out of order.

You seem to think that me disagreeing with you is me not getting it. You have explained your view, I have a different view.
I have worked in the public sector for years. Council libraries are, and have been for years now, multi use buildings where adults are encouraged to go, as safe spaces, warm spaces, to be open to all. They are very much the unofficial alternative to day shelters, places for lonely people to go, places for the homeless or mentally ill to go. As I mentioned earlier ours has CAB, housing and banking services all within the library space. If for example a Muslim man was homeless, unless there is a mosque in walking distance, a library would be one of the few places I could think of that they could actually go to. It would have been preferable not to use the kids section, but if the room was pretty much empty then I can't see an issue with it.

Mumsnet seems to have this nostalgic idea that libraries are full of people reading. They still lend books but public libraries are in the main essentially community centres, outside of the flagship city centre venues.

What about the needs of ex-Muslims? Do Muslims, praying in public, cause them to feel intimidated?

Apparently not one where people have the freedom to practice their religion.

They definitely do. 🤨
In fact during Eid it’s tradition to pray in an open public space as part of the celebrations.

There's been a few threads about this recently (people praying in unusual places/seemingly causing obstructions). How strange that I've never seen anyone mention it before and suddenly there's multiple people coming across people praying like this. I wonder what's causing it?

Hmm I guess the praying was that the only area with a soft mat he could use?
Sleeping is a bit inappropriate but I guess I just feel sorry for her to have to resort to sleeping in a library if times are that tough. I would probably turn a blind eye to it.

Well masturbation in public is illegal, praying isn’t. HTH.

I wouldn’t worry because honestly there is a 0.01% chance this actually happened, despite OP providing a photo of a folded over rug with some shoes near it.

@Blueharmonica So your point is that as there are books on religion, it is fully acceptable to practice religious ceremonies in the children’s area of the library?

No, I didn't say that.

The first point I made is that neutrality on religion does not mean that religion should not have a presence in the library. The presence of religious texts in the library shows that it is acceptable for religion to have a presence in the library, and this does not conflict with the concept of religious neutrality.

Praying is a separate point and it is acceptable solely on the basis that it doesn't interfere with anyone else. Just as it's also acceptable to twirl your hair because you're not interfering with anyone else. Religious activities that do interfere with other people (such as preaching) would obviously not be acceptable because that would be bothering other people in a place intended for silent reading.

Here's a hint: any time you feel the need to say "so your point is..." or "so you're saying that..." that means you have not understood what someone else has said and you are about to completely misinterpret their point.

What are your thoughts on how you’d extend this logic to books about tennis, tonsillectomy or nudism in the children’s area of the library?

Those activities interfere with other people, so the library is not the place for those.

Honestly the logical gymnastics some people go through simply to signal virtue is ridiculous.

I'm not virtue signalling. I have already explicitly stated that I'm one of the people who wants all channel crossings to stop and I think we should also have tougher controls on legal immigration.

But praying doesn't bother me, and it shouldn't bother you either. Have you ever heard the term "pick your battles"? There are lots of things that deeply affect me and those are the battles I choose to fight. Praying has absolutely no effect on me, so I do not care about it.