By Cyril Anderson

 One facet of the current debate on “reasonable accommodations” in Quebec is the issue of schools and organizations providing spaces for prayer for Muslim students and employees.  Issues related to this came up in recent years at Montreal school ETS, and is also a bone of contention between the Muslim Students’ Association of McGill University and the University administration. 

The usual argument raised by those against such accommodations is that secular institutions should not have to make accommodations for religious needs, and that students and employees need to make their own arrangements privately.  This issue is usually argued on one side from a human rights perspective, and on the other, from a perspective of trying to determine the practical limits of human rights.

 Usually, the underlying argument seems to be that there is only a cost on the part of the school or business that makes accommodations, and that the issue is to figure out what is a reasonable cost or inconvenience the organization should be “forced to suffer.”  That is, how much cost should be borne by the organization for the benefit of the individual worker or student.  Missing often, however, is an examination of the question of whether there is actually some benefit to the organization.

 Prayer is important for religious people, allowing people to attain calm and peace of mind.  Research indicates that prayer and meditation have a beneficial and measurable psychological effect in building calm and focus and discipline in individuals and helping them to deal with stress.  This is, needless to say, a beneficial thing in the school or workplace.

 One issue that is getting more and more press in business literature is that of “presenteeism” (as opposed to absenteeism) where employees show up for work and yet are unproductive, for various reasons, leading to lost productivity.  There are many causes for this, but among these causes are stress and lack of focus and concentration.

If workers and students can take a few minutes a day to gather and calm their thoughts, reduce their stress and improve their focus and concentration through prayer and meditation, then this should arguably have the potential to increase productivity.  This would then produce a positive benefit for the organization through increased effectiveness and efficiency.  As a result, it can be argued strongly that it is in the best interests of businesses to be flexible, within reason, in accommodating such practices.  Amongst businesspeople, there is already some widespread understanding of the usefulness of retreats, yoga, and meditation; why not prayer as well?  If the dollar benefits in terms of productivity were to offset the cost of any accommodations, then the accommodation would actually represent an intelligent investment on the part of the organization.

 At the same time, it should be clear what is being asked for in terms of accommodations for prayer.  There is no need for schools or workplaces to finance mini-mosques on their premises.  Most Muslim employees and students are only looking for a modest location in which to fulfill their religious obligations to connect to their creator.  At a minimum, this means making use of a small clean room in which there is space to stand and prostrate on the floor.  This space is needed usually at the most for a few times a day for 5-10 minutes at a stretch, and can usually be fit into a coffee break.  If there is more than one Muslim needing to pray, more space might be needed, and it is generally understood that there should be some separation of men from women, whether through alternating the use of the space, using two separate spaces, or dividing the space physically, so as to improve the ability of both to concentrate better on calmness and spirituality.  Most Muslims, as well, would not object to the setting aside of some more general, non-denominational quiet “prayer/meditation/relaxation space” that could be used by people of different faiths or even just by people who want a calm place to relax and re-gather their thoughts in between work.

 In most cases, as is the typical situation with such issues, the negotiations for this take place in a private, non-confrontational way.  The employee asks the supervisor in a polite, respectful manner that is considerate of the employer’s limitations for help in solving this problem, and the employer makes an honest effort to make reasonable arrangements.  This is how the process usually works.  Courts only get involved, as they usually do, when less serious methods of problem solving run into obstacles.  There will be cases in the future where courts will be needed, whether from an intransigent employer or from an inflexible employee, or simply from limitations of the situation or workplace.  These cases will be important in helping to set some of the boundaries of the discussion.  But the fact remains that for the most part, this issue will be resolved in a much more low-key way.

 Both sides of the argument need to be willing to be flexible to reach a reasonable solution.  And people on both sides have made mistakes, being unreasonable at different times in the past.  This issue may continue to produce some friction and press for some time to come.  However, it is hoped, and foreseeable, that with patience and sincerity and mutual common courtesy, such reasonable accommodations can be made to the mutual benefit and enrichment of us all.  As a society, we will be the better for it.