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

This is an appropriate response!

Might be different in Scotland, but in our area the library is the main designated warm space, as well as the place everyone is signposted to use the internet for their benefits requirements, and is the only place I'm aware of that has free toilets and free drinking water. CAB are based there too. So it pretty much serves as a daytime shelter for anyone vulnerable.
No point telling them to go to a homeless shelter, they were either closed, or they're temporary places that kick people out at 7am and they can't return until night.

Because it’s preventing the area being used for what it’s designed for. And children should be absolutely prioritised in the children’s area. Clue is in the name.

Not being unreasonable. There is a difference between someone quietly and discreetly praying to themselves, and someone physically and publically occupying a childrens reading space for worship. Its not the place to do it and completely inappropriate.

In a children's area? Any adults in there should be parents/carers only.
I would be making a complaint in writing to the council

Won’t someone think of children?!!!

Yes, he could have found a quieter spot.

No, this is not some secret masterplan that Muslims have to convert everyone and impose shariah law in the UK.

It's cheeky and inconsiderate.

Prayers are pretty quick aren't they? I'd use it as a chance to talk to my children about a different religion.

If your council has a money tree, then absolutely they should spend a few hundred million on this. Unfortunately that’s not the current state of affairs.
In the meantime, I think as a community we should be sharing the public spaces that do still exist and not reserve them for the more fortunate.

See https://fuelpovertypanel.scot/our-publications/the-scottish-fuel-poverty-advisory-panel-newsletter-july-2025/.

This year’s Scottish House Condition Survey paints a difficult picture of what increasingly looks like an entrenched fuel poverty figure of around a third – with 34% of Scotland’s households in fuel poverty.

More worryingly the figures showed that 19.4% of these households are in extreme fuel poverty, with the fuel poverty gap now estimated at £1,250.

Ahhh .... now I see how it's possible. Sad me had to google it, as I had visualised a small area! It's like a hall ! Can see how some might find it inviting, for a little snooze or a place to offer one up 🙌🏾

We do get a few rough sleepers who like to hang out in our local library for many hours, but I've only seen them in the adults' section, never in the much smaller kids' area. I've never seen anyone using the kids' area for praying either. I don't think most adults would dream of doing either, as it would look odd and they would be unlikely to get any peace.

On the other hand, the library does have a few study/meeting rooms and I wouldn't mind if someone wanted to sleep or pray in one of those as it's rare to see them all in use.

Have you expressed your concerns to the council and the librarian OP? You are clearly quite sure that you are not being unreasonable to object to a Muslim person praying in the library, so there's nothing much we can add really. Contact the authorities.

There’s nothing wrong with prayers or rest or bathing or food shopping or doing your washing up or undressing or… any of those things. It’s just… sometimes there’s better places to do them? I don’t know, just a thought. 🙂

The problem is very very clearly this man’s perception of what the children’s area of a library is for and not the op’s viewpoint on religion.

So if op and dc had plonked themselves down on the floor too and started loudly and enthusiastically reading “Going on a Bear Hunt” with all the actions next to him.. would that be ok?

I feel that is a a problem with your perceptions or perhaps your viewpoint on religion. There is no reason to be intimidated by a silently praying person who isn’t barring you from doing anything. You don’t have a right to feel comfortable in every public space you go into.

He may have been a member of staff and maybe the children's area is usually fairly quiet and empty that time of day so he thought he could do his prayer quickly without bothering anyone.
I don't think the prayer would have taken long. A few minutes if that.

What are you talking about? Of course all libraries have books written by authors ! It’s a library! I tell you what all libraries don’t have, men in the middle of the children’s area on the floor preying to an invisible being. Do you know why? Because they’re libraries. It’s really very simple.

Yes, but why have a children's area (not just books but mat to sit on etc.) if you’re not going to reserve it for children?

I see mine advertised as warm places for anyone who can’t afford to heat their home so imho, people are going to do quiet activities they would normally do at home if they could put the heat on. This includes praying and sleeping. I take it you’ve never been so cold you cannot sleep?

I'm not understanding this at all, and I am saying this as someone who wishes that all channel crossings would stop and that we had tighter immigration controls.

To me, a person praying is nothing. I don't see why it's an issue. Again, I am questioning whether this actually happened because it would be very strange for a Muslim to take over a play area when libraries generally have loads of free space for praying.

I reserve a study room at our local library at least once a week. One of the many rules I have to agree to is that the room is not for sleeping. It has some specific wording that makes it clear they won’t ban you if you nod off over your book, but that you can’t intentionally misuse the space.