Universitetsledelsen ved i
hvert fall ett australsk universitet vegrer seg for å imøtekomme kravene,
ettersom den mener at dette ville kunne danne en uheldig presedens som kunne
undergrave universitetets sekulære karakter. Studentene var informert om universitets
sekulære karakter da de søkte om opptak, sier en talsmann.
International Muslim
students, predominantly from Saudi Arabia, have asked universities in Melbourne
to change class times so they can attend congregational prayers. They also want
a female-only area for Muslim students to eat and relax.
But at least one institution
has rejected their demands, arguing that the university is secular and it does
not want to set a precedent for requests granted in the name of religious
beliefs.
La Trobe University
International chief officer John Molony said several students had approached
the Bundoora institution about rearranging class times to fit in with daily
prayers.
Mr Molony said the
university was attempting to «meet the needs» of an increasing number
of Muslim international students, including doubling the size of the prayer
room on campus.
La Trobe University
International College director Martin Van Run said that although it was
involved in discussions with the Muslim students who had made the requests, the
university was not planning to change any timetables.
«That would seriously
inconvenience other people at the college and it is not institutionally
viable,» he told The Australian. «We are a secular institution …
and we need to have a structured timetable.»
Mr Van Run said that Saudi students were fully aware that the university
was secular before coming to study there. «They
know well in advance the class times,» he said.
Les mer i
The Australian.
Ja, som HRS har sagt en rekke ganger, liberale samfunn vil
bli tvunget til å ta stilling til hvor grensen for islams særkrav i det
offentlige rom skal gå, dersom de skal unngå islamisering. Islams egne krav på
sine omgivelser er i så måte grenseløse.