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

[sunshine240778474]

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?

When (going from the OP) the room was empty bar one other adult, and at a time when the vast majority of children would have been at school or nursery. In a type of building that councils are actively encouraging people to use as a public space, as has been mentioned re designated warm spaces, benefits access etc.

@Bollixtothat I mean this genuinely, if you think that a man praying is intimidating I think you need help. That's such a bizarre take. The idea that he is controlling the space is entirely your projection.

It’s just inconsiderate OP. The need for someone to pray doesn’t outweigh your desire to access the children’s play area in a library for its intended purpose. Hard no also to people sleeping there with their shoes and socks off. Whilst it’s sad, again their needs shouldn’t come before those of everyone else. It’s a library not a hostel. The library was my refuge with my small children and both these issues would massively put me off.

The naïveté is so faux.

Our public spaces? So British Muslims don’t belong in “our” public spaces because we are a “Christian” country? Interesting, so it’s not really about the children. It’s about Muslims taking over “our public spaces”

Public spaces are for everyone.

And “moreso” a Muslim man praying is intimidating, moreso than all other religions?

Be mad at the systems not the people. They're looking for shelter and Internet access during the day, they may only have an overnight shelter or be rough sleeping. Its cold. Library is free.

No it doesn't help at all. A person praying, to me, does not become threatening if they're praying in a different 'situation'. Islam requires prayers five times a day, at specific times. People find the best option they've got at the time. Some of my colleagues at work pray, I've never felt threatened at work because of it.

I'd find it annoying. I don't go to a library expecting to see a man on the floor praying, especially in the children's library.

Are you under the impression that councils are actively encouraging men to prey in children’s areas of libraries? He obviously is controlling the space, what is it that you are not getting here?

Much like OP’s.

I think that's a "you" problem, not a "him" problem.

It must be tricky fitting all the Islamic prayers in during a UK winter. The intervals between the midday, afternoon and sunset prayers must be quite short, especially as far north as Inverness.

Libraries aren't there for people to pray or rest - both those things would make me feel very uncomfortable- particularly when taking a child to the library.

Libraries are pretty much the only remaining public indoor spaces where there is no expectation of you spending money. They need to be utilised and preserved.

I think your typo there is a bit of a Freudian slip.

Was the OP also controlling the space by walking in with her children? Was the woman sleeping in the library controlling the space? What was it about the man, who as far as I can tell didn't interact with the OP at all, that made him controlling?

Didn’t you know if you are Muslim then simply existing is designed to harass and intimidate women and children?

1. this is a country where, thank goodness, we have religious tolerance, and one can practise any religion, or none, without fear of persecution. That’s something we should celebrate.
2. i’ll bet you will still take your children to Easter activities in the same library.
3. Reform are trying to convert SNP voters in Scotland just now.
4. Not everything posted on forums is added in good faith.

Ah yes. Particularly targeting the posters who are protective of our 'Christian nation' who seem to conveniently ignore any of the Christian values that Christians are meant to live by. Love thy neighbour, unless they're brown.

Let's keep these undesirables - the addicted, the unwashed, the cold, the weary, the old, the dispossessed, in fact the very people towards whom Jesus entreats us to show most compassion and love - out of our way. It's sad, but we don't want to have to look at them as we go about our daily business, or, heaven forbid, for our children to have to see them. Far better to build a bespoke building to keep them out of our way. We could call it a hostel. And ours is a Christian country, as some on this thread have been keen to remind us, conveniently sweeping aside the very heart of the Christian message.

Islam may well require that but the children’s area of the library is not designated for that and the children or parents owe no preferential treatment to an entitled man.

Im not sure how to explain this any clearer really, it’s the context/situation:
prayer- not intimidating
prayer in a religious building -not intimidating
prayer in a public library designated children’s area - weird and intimidating if you have your children with you.
praying whilst they’re supposed to be flying the plane - f*cking intimidating

Making sense?

FFS a library is a place to read books, not to celebrate the cult of islamism. The woman sleeping should have bene wakened up and asked to leave.

Our communal spaces are being colonised and turned in to spaces we don't recognise or want.

Most libraries are also designed as safe spaces. All of our local ones have posters etc advertising as a warm safe space for anyone vulnerable to come in out of the cold.

As for praying. Exactly what harm was he doing? Perfect opportunity to teach about an alternative religion and to respect differing beliefs surely? He will have been doing it in that area as they are meant to face a certain direction (towards a point in Mecca) sp I would assume that was located in the children's section.

Unclench and mind your own business!

I’ve never seen anyone sleeping in a library in my life but I live in an affluent area and all homeless people are known to the council.

I've been known to doze off in a library while waiting for a homeless client to turn up!

And I doubt if "all" homeless people are known to the council, either. I worked in homelessness resettlement for several years, and there was a man sleeping rough in an disused shed on the allotments near where I live. When I heard about it from one of the allotment holders, I got one of our outreach workers to make contact with the poor guy and take him to the council to make a homeless application. They had no idea he was there, and he'd been sleeping there for a couple of years.

This was in an affluent town, too, average house price in excess of £500k.

No, funnily enough the building in which somebody is praying, doesn't turn it into an intimidating act for me @Blueharmonica and the fact that you are so sure it does, its as I said before, is bizarre. You seem to be under the assumption that it was done to be performative, or to mark his territory somehow, which is entirely your own bias showing.

Depends where you’re ‘simply existing’, same as anyone.

@ElizabethsTailor white liberal women are always the worst.