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

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Yesterday I took the kids to the local library (Inverness, scotland). The local library has a kids area. The kids area has a nice artificial grass mat for the kids to sit and read their books on.

When I entered the library there was a man who had folded the kids mat over so he could kneel on the floor and pray to Allah.

Therefore this prevented the kids from sitting on the mat and reading their books.
The man was praying for a while.

I don't have a problem with someone praying if that's what they want to do.

Is it appropriate to be doing it in the kids area in a local library?

Also, there was a woman curled up in the corner of the library sleeping. This was also in the kids area.

I've seen people sleeping in the library on a few occasions now. I've never seen it in the kids' area.

Ofcourse, I feel sorry for her if she's tired, but again is it appropriate to be using the local library, especially the kids area, as a shelter?

I left the library, and told the staff politely, I didn't find it kid friendly.

Was I being unreasonable?

YANBU. It's a library—somewhere to read, study, browse, and borrow books—not a place for praying or sleeping on the floor.

Isn’t a public library one of the designated warm spaces for people in fuel poverty?

I don’t understand what isn’t child friendly about you saw there?

I was going to say something like this.

I agree. A library is one of the very few public indoor places people can just go and be for free. Even without the fantastic resources for education, just having an open public space that anyone can access is such a vital community resource.

I don't think it's appropriate for anyone to pray or worship in communal areas that impact on others.

I assumed it was a child’s seating area, rather than just the shelves of books.

No lone adult should be using a space specifically designed for only kids.

@HippityHoppityHay exactly. I didn't really want to listen to it to be honest. Not that I have a problem with it. It's just not something I would choose to listen to. I'm sure if I started praying to jesus christ in some Muslim countries in a public space I would definitely be moved on. I respect people's religion, but they should also respect that some people might not want their child's learning space taken over for it.

What does religious intolerance in other countries have to do with this?

Oh crumbs, so he was actually praying out loud?

Thursday? What time... ish?

As in me the members library staff would have a word and say the children’s section isn’t the best place……

He probably isn’t a religious zealot he was just praying! His kids might well of been in the library too who knows? But then I might be a bit more relaxed I used to work in an airport where people of May dates would literally pray in the middle of us trying to board a flight and we’d just work round them whee we could!

That should of said many faiths 🙈

Of course it's inappropriate, there is a time and place for everything. Libraries are not religious buildings nor should they be used as such

It’s Ramadan so I guess he wanted to pray at that particular time and he also needed to kneel facing toward Mecca for that.
However, I don’t think the children’s reading area is appropriate. Library staff should have pointed this out to him and possibly found another area for him pray.
As for the sleeping lady, I can’t really comment as have never come across this, but again the library staff should be dealing with it.

@AgnesMcDoo because it wouldn't be tolerated in other countries.

How do you know? Have you lived in other countries?

So we are to copy some [unnamed] Muslim countries and move along anyone praying in a quiet corner of a public building?

I wouldn’t choose to listen to kids screeching through mum and baby sing along time at the library either, but it’s a public space and so I am not going to complain to staff that is not a child free or migraine sufferer friendly place.

If he wasn't on the mat, couldn't you have just moved it over a bit if your children wanted to sit on it?

Did the sleeping woman have luggage with her? Maybe she came in on the Caledonian sleeper and wasn't able to travel to the hotel or bed and breakfast until later! This happened to me a few years ago. I went to Inverness library to kill some time and felt horrendously tired due to not sleeping on the train from London. I didn't actually sleep in the library though.

@JLou08 I absolutely agree homeless people should have some where safe to go to sleep. I don't think it should be in children's learning space. I go to the library to encourage my children to read and find fun in books. I don't go to introduce them to Allah, drug users, and seeing people lying on the floor sleeping. It's just not appropriate. Also, I think a lot of people come off the bus and use it as a cheap place to sleep

Pretty ridiculous people are trying to argue that adults are not doing anything wrong sleeping and praying in the children's section of the library.

OK so let's x 10 people, 10 people praying and 10 people sleeping, is that still OK? Surely it's OK if one can do it, why can't the others? And bang, no places for the children to read their books....

A Christian doing this in a public area - down on their hands and knees - would be classed as a religious extremist. Tbh I've never seen it, and I live in N Ireland where we have plenty of the latter. Makes me very uncomfortable to see how common this is becoming in the UK, worshippers should pray in churches and mosques, not the middle of a fecking library/changing room/middle of the street. But of course Starmer's govt wouldn't dream of challenging it.

If this was during the day the prayer would have been totally silent, only the dawn and night prayers are recited vocally in the mosque, and that isn't even mandatory. I'm a Muslim and would always ask if a private space was available. I would never pray in what appears to be the middle of the room, even in a Muslim country. That's odd behaviour.
Re sleeping. This is becoming such an issue. Our local A&E have said the amount of people coming in just to shelter and keep warm is at crisis point. I'd feel very sorry for anyone in this situation, but proper sleeping with shoes/socks off is not appropriate in any public building.

@SpiritAdder Mum sing a long classes are clearly advised at the library. Therefore you know that's what you may encounter. I don't see the library advertising "safe sleep space" "pray freely in the kids area" advertised. Therefore I don't expect to encounter it at the library.

Honestly, what is your point with this questioning? Where are you coming from with this? A man went into a library in a kids area and started worshiping a supernatural being knowing full well it would intimidate children and parents. He wanted to mark his territory and prove that his particular supernatural entity was above the children or anyone else wanting to use the library. Stop with the virtue signalling nonsense, do you really think it helps anybody? This is unacceptable behaviour, as well you know.