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

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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.

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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. 

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
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

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. 

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