Minnesota School to Construct a Prayer Room and Foot-Washing Stations to Accomodate Muslim

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A school in Minnesota is planning to construct a prayer room and foot-washing stations in order to accomodate its Muslim students.

Osseo Area Schools confirmed to Alpha News reporter Liz Collin its ongoing upgrade plans will include a dedicated prayer space at Park Center Senior High School, along with foot washing facilities at Osseo Senior High School.

The features are part of revised designs within the district’s “Building a Better Future” capital program, a roughly $375 million package approved by voters in 2022 and 2023.

However, a spokesperson for Park Center Senior High School told Mail Online it was not just a prayer room but a “multipurpose space.”

“The space could be used for prayer, or other student or staff multipurpose needs throughout the day,’ said Kay Villella, executive director of school/community relations.

“At all sites multipurpose needs have included calming/quiet, studying, testing or a small club or academic gathering.”

”These spaces are scheduled out and supervised by staff,” they continued. “All students are welcome to use each of these spaces.”

Muslim religious practice requires prayer five times daily at prescribed times, often necessitating access to a quiet, dedicated space during the day.

Before prayer, adherents perform a ritual washing known as wudu, which includes washing the feet.

The school insisted that the foot-washing bashins “were included in updated plans after hearing from user groups on student needs.”

The upgrades are scheduled to be carried out across the next three summers, and will also include a new media center, a redesigned cafeteria, a school store, and a wing for techincal education.

Minnesota is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.S., estimated at roughly 140,000 to 200,000 people, or about 2–3% of the state’s population.

The community is concentrated in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, and includes a large Somali population.

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