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

Don’t be scared away from your local library! Go back and next time speak to the staff.

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

Tbf objecting to someone praying is pretty horrible. I mean, you're objecting to taking a few minutes of their day to reflect, give thanks, and remind themselves of the need to be humble.
I'm not religious but I struggle to see what is offensive about that.

I work in a library.
Our policy in the library is to allow people to nap in a chair if not causing an obstruction or causing a problem, we have a line of chairs in a quiet area, but no lying down across chairs or on the floor.
No lone adults in the children's area, no moving about of mats or the main chairs, adults are asked to leave the children's area if just sitting or hanging about. Adults can look for books etc without children but we don't want adults on their own sitting observing children. This is a safe guarding risk.
We have adult seating areas.
So we when we became aware of the person sleeping we would have asked them to move to the quiet area. The man praying, if we could have stopped him prior to starting we would have asked him to move to an appropriate area, such as our quiet area, and not fold up our mat as it prevents children from using it and may damage the mat. If he was part way through I would have left him, and waited for him to finish and then told him not to do that again and explained the options. I would also suggest he bring his own mat.
If any of those people complained I would have explained that we want everyone to feel welcome and have space to enjoy the books and the library as intended. Sleeping and praying is not our primary function but we have suitable areas where people are most welcome to rest or pray. We have 4 suitable areas for adults so I never know why they want to hang out in the kids area!
Children need to be protected, families can easily be put off by lone adults in the children's area and we are keen to keep this area welcoming and safe. I am not afraid to tell adults if they are not being considerate and regularly move people into other areas.

It sounds like the Muslim man was trying to get a reaction! Why choose such a public space to worship your god in a western country?

The moving of the mat is odd. Did he think that was the cleanest place to kneel or something? If the place is so big (as some pp are saying in his defence) then why did he choose to use exactly the place the children's mat was but move the mat? And in a way that meant the children couldn't use it, ie folded over?
Thanks to the muslim posting that it would be unusual to choose to pray alone in the middle of a public room and that in the daytime the prayers should have been silent - I think the OP said they were out loud?
I feel the same as the OP. It's a power play intended to either intimidate or cause an incident, not some innocent praying where he found himself when it was time.

Evangeline got there first, but really, Can't go over it, Can't go under it, Can't go round it.... Story time.

I can understand the sleeping if someone is homeless and in need of a warm place, but praying in the children's section is just odd.

There's no way he would have got through his prayers without being disturbed at my local library. A preschooler would almost definitely have asked him what he was doing, or a toddler would have bumped into him on their way to their favourite spot (or jumped on him, depending on who was visiting that day).

As a parent I'd try to divert my children, but I wouldn't stop them using the area which is likely distracting in and of itself.

They should be doing it as a safety thing really. Its not typical for someone to go and sleep in a library, id be concerned there was a health issue like diabetes or heart related medical condition and definitely wouldn't just assume someone had chosen to go to sleep and leave them unchecked.

I was once asked to leave a very comfy couch where I was reading my book because it happened to be in kids area. The problem was that no other comfortable sitting was available in any other area in the library. While I can see that it may be inappropriate to pray and sleep in kids area, the issue is poor library design, unfortunately.

A library is not the place for prayers- surely this should be private at home or in his church? I wouldn’t be happy and I would have complained. Why the need to pray in a children’s area of all places ? Next time roll the rug back on the floor and sit on it with your child.
And a huge no to the sleepers too!

I'm sure you can start a campaign to properly fund homeless services and day shelters.

Where I live, I have seen Muslims praying in the bus station and the lounge of the cinema. The odd thing is they would have been pointing in opposite directions. So at least one of them doesn't know where Mecca is.

You are absolutely not being unreasonable op and it's totally unacceptable for anyone to pray in the children's area. Praying loudly is happening in other inappropriate situations and we are all too Britishly reserved to call it out.
In Bristol City Council call to prayer was sang out at public council meeting. This now happens at many English councils as many have Muslim mayors

@Annasimon So you agree a library is a neutral place, but OK for people to pray there..how does that make any sense?

Because praying does not interfere with other people's activities. You don't have to take part in it in any way, so it does not violate the principle of a library being a neutral space.

Oh please

@Blueharmonica What are you talking about? Of course all libraries have books written by authors !

Yes, so you understand that a library is not a place free from politics and religion?

Most would be, which is another reason why I don’t understand why OP is insisting that one man and one women were monopolising the entire children’s area on a Thursday depriving loads of children of access to books.

(The mum and baby singalongs are for toddlers too young for nursery or not in nursery but home with mum.)

He’s imposing himself on a bunch of kids. It’s distracting them from books/play. If I was religious I wouldn’t dream of doing that. At least go the adult part of the library!

Obviously someone did think of the children in allocating them an area in a library.

This didn’t happen, did it OP?

The staff should provide an adult quiet space elsewhere for both people so they can feel at home and focus/relax without pesky kids.

So you agree a library is a neutral place, but OK for people to pray there..how does that make any sense?
We provide information, including religion of course. A chemist sells condoms...I doubt they would like you to use them on the premises.

I know the realities of libraries..I worked in them for many years.

@SpiritAdder wouldn't the children be in school/nursery on a weekday?