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Montreal university students decry Quebec government’s plan to ban prayer rooms

Montreal university students decry Quebec government's plan to ban prayer rooms | iNFOnews.ca
Samy Khelefi washes as he performs wudu, a ritual cleansing prior to prayer for Muslims, before entering the prayer room organized by the Muslim Students' Association, at Concordia University in Montreal, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

MONTREAL — Muslim students at a Montreal university say they’re deeply troubled by the Quebec government’s plan to ban prayer rooms in post-secondary schools.

They say the prayer room at Concordia University is an important gathering place for the Muslim community, visited by at least 500 students a day.

Some students say they chose to attend Concordia specifically because it has had a well-established prayer room for many years.

The Quebec government is expected to table a bill today that would ban prayer rooms in public institutions, most notably colleges and universities.

It would also ban full face coverings, such as the niqab, for post-secondary students.

Students at Concordia say the measures unfairly target the Muslim community and would create a new problem by forcing them to find other places to pray on campus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2025.

Montreal university students decry Quebec government's plan to ban prayer rooms | iNFOnews.ca
Samy Khelefi does his afternoon prayer in the prayer room organized by the Muslim Students’ Association, at Concordia University in Montreal, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Montreal university students decry Quebec government's plan to ban prayer rooms | iNFOnews.ca
A student performs his afternoon prayer in the prayer room organized by the Muslim Students’ Association, at Concordia University in Montreal, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

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The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.

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