When Indonesian graduate student Nila Purwanti, who is Muslim, wants to perform her five daily prayers, she heads to the on-campus prayer room at Rikkyo University in Japan. The university established the room in April 2016 for all students, particularly its Muslim international students.
Building prayer rooms is just one way global universities are working to accommodate undergraduate and graduate international students of multiple faiths.
“It can be a consideration for students when they choose a university to look at the provided facilities,” says Purwanti. Kazunori Yamaguchi, vice president for International Advancement at Rikkyo, says he hopes the prayer room will also serve as a center for all students to understand and appreciate cultural diversity.
[Discover ways to connect with a religious community as an international student.]
For prospective international students considering a global university, here are three ways institutions provide religious accommodations.
— Religious accommodation policies: Most global universities have religious accommodation policies in place to meet multifaith students’ needs. Prospective students can typically find these policies on a university’s website.
For example, the University of Denver‘s religious accommodation policy grants students excused absences from class or other organized activities to observe religious holy days.
Jessica Moody, senior policy adviser for the United Kingdom’s Equality Challenge Unit, which supports equality and diversity at U.K. higher education institutions, says the country’s laws require universities to consider students’ religious needs in their equality strategies — initiatives that seek to provide equal treatment and opportunity — and their support services.
She says prospective international students can also look for information about chaplains, or religious directors of various faiths, on university websites by searching the term “chaplaincy.”
The University of Southern California has about 50 religious directors, or faith leaders, including the dean of religious life who is Hindu. Other schools with multifaith chaplains include the University of Queensland Australia, McGill University in Canada and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
At the University of Denver, chaplain Gary Brower, who supports students of all faiths, says the school handles many religious accommodation requests on a case-by-case basis.
“For example, if a student from a particular Buddhist sect needs to be able to burn incense and/or light candles — the latter, at least, forbidden in our residence halls — we either might release them from their housing contract or find another building where they may practice, as needed,” says Brower.
— Prayer rooms and facilities: Many global universities, like Canada’s University of Alberta and Australia’s Victoria University provide separate areas designated for prayer, reflection and meditation.
“We seek to value and make space for all religious and nonreligious identities on campus,” says James Walters, chaplain and director of the London School of Economics and Political Science‘s Faith Centre.
He says the LSE Faith Centre hosts diverse religious on-campus activities, such as Islamic prayer, Sikh meditation, Kosher lunches and Catholic mass. He says that the center seeks to “promote religious literacy and foster interfaith leadership to build bridges.”
George Mason University in Virginia and Canada’s University of Regina have installed special sinks for Muslims to wash for prayer. South Korea’s Ewha Womans University provides accommodations for Muslim students in the dormitories.
“We have installed squatting toilets and retractable shower heads next to the toilet allowing students to wash themselves right after,” Aileen Nam, an associate at the Office of International Affairs at Ewha, said via email.
Nam says the university also has one prayer/meditation room in each of the two main dormitories that international students reside in. Though Indian national Torunika Roy, a Hindu, prays in her room, she says she appreciates the inclusion of prayer rooms at Ewha.
“In Hinduism, we believe that a prayer room or temples have some kind of positivity that can help people with their problems,” says Roy, an undergrad majoring in international studies.
[Read about ways U.S. colleges work to support international students.]
— Student clubs: Prospective international students can also explore faith-based clubs as an opportunity to make friends and become active members of a community while they adapt to a new school and possibly new country.
For example, at Ewha, Nam says the school has 15 registered religion-based student clubs, such as the Ewha Won Buddhist Student Society.
Moody says U.K. universities typically have societies for different religions and joining them can help students share experiences, celebrate key festivals and meet new people. And she says if one doesn’t exist, students can start their own faith-based club.
[Explore how U.S. universities offer international students a taste of home.]
Through clubs, students can also be advocates for change. The Muslim Student Association at the University of Alberta is credited with pushing for the school’s Multi-Faith Prayer and Meditation Space, which was established in early 2017.
Similarly, Sadia Farah, a nursing major and Muslim Student Association member at St. Catherine University in Minnesota, recently authored the school’s new religious accommodation policy, which allows students of all faiths to observe religious holidays without academic penalty.
Saudi student Rahma Abufoor did not expect to get Islamic holidays off at St. Catherine, a Catholic university, but says she welcomes the new policy. “I feel that someone cares about me, because my faith is part of who I am,” says Abufoor.
Moody says her organization is still working toward greater religious inclusion at U.K. universities. But she says international students can be a powerful force for change.
She encourages prospective international students: “If you have questions or suggestions for your future university on meeting your needs: ask!”
See the complete rankings of the Best Global Universities.
More from U.S. News
Decide Which College to Enroll in as an International Student
International Students: Get Jobs at U.S. Colleges
10 Questions for International Students to Ask About Online Bachelor’s Programs
Global Universities Offer Religious Accommodations originally appeared on usnews.com
