The Reality of UNSW Muslim Life On Campus

Whenever exam time comes, muslim students at UNSW have one more thing to stress about than their non-muslim counterparts. Where are they going to pray their Friday prayer? It is going to clash with one of their exam times? Is it going to be far away from their exam venue? Even if they are provided a place to go to for their prayer, will they get a place?

Muslim students at UNSW are being moved from one place to another for their Friday prayer whenever there is an exam. Because the venue which is usually provided by the University for their Obligatory Friday prayer is to be used as an exam venue. Without enough notice being given in advance, without a proper adequate alternative venue being provided, they have to move out.

Some students hesitantly decide to travel to a distant mosque. Some are forced to miss the prayer. Some get very frustrated and decide to set up and perform the prayer on any available place. Some get to the point of thinking that they are being discriminated against. They heard, for a long time, that there is this project called Medina college – a college to cater for the accommodation and basic needs of muslim students from overseas – being approved by the university back in the early 2000. But no progress or any positive news on the project as of the past 3 to 4 years while one new modern college after another is being built and finished on and around the campus. And more colleges are being built around the campus but none of them for the muslim college. Most other major religions have their colleges on campus.
For instance,
The New College Village (which was approved later than the Medina College project)

http://www.ncv.unsw.edu.au/index.php/about/

The Shalom College

http://www.shalomcollege.unsw.edu.au/content/view/14/

Most students being to wonder about their rights as a student at UNSW. Are they being given their rights? Are they being treated fairly?

There are thousands of Muslim students studying at UNSW. The majority of the them are international students. They are paying millions of dollars for their tuition fees. UNSW advertises that how it caters for the need of muslim students on campus. But the reality is that muslims students do not even have a permanent place to perform their obligatory Friday prayer (Jumu’ah Salat). Friday Congregational prayer is obligatory upon every muslim male. It is important that they have an adequate and permanent place to perform their religious duty.

If a prestigious world class university like The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia is unable to deliver to its full fee paying international students what it has promised …. it is just a disgrace.

A muslim student will have to think twice about coming to UNSW to earn their degree if they are going to be pushed around up and down around the campus to get a place to perform their obligatory duty.

Muslim parents will have to think twice about sending their child to UNSW to study, away from home, if it means they are going to have to compromise their religious commitments.

Duration : 0:7:11

[youtube YTtHe5k3UII]