Foundation continues call for University of Iowa to close prayer rooms

A group of secular students at UI, however, has been vocally supportive of the new prayer rooms.

Jeff Charis-Carlson
9:31 p.m. CDT April 19, 2016

An out-of-state foundation is continuing to call on the University of Iowa to close two designated prayer rooms on campus despite UI arguments that the rooms do not violate the establishment clause of the state and federal constitutions.

A secular student group at the university, however, has been vocally supportive of the new prayer rooms.

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UI officials have said they decided to renovate two former offices in the IMU into the bare, open, meditative space, primarily to address concerns raised by Muslim faculty, student and staff who find themselves struggling to find space to pray several times a day.

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"The policy of the Iowa Memorial Union is such that it provides space necessary for any student organization or group of students who want to use the space for any kinds of needs — be that political, academic, religious, whatever. And so that fits in perfectly with the IMU's mission as a self-sustaining facility at the university," said Ian Wold, public relations coordinator for Secular Students at Iowa, a group for agnostic and atheist UI students.

http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/education/university-of-iowa/2016/04/19/iowa-prayer-rooms-controversy-freedom-from-religion/83248724/

https://secularstudents.org.uiowa.edu/events/