Bristol Airport open "multi faith area" in car park - looks like a bus shelter

[Egg Centric]

https://twitter.com/bristolairport/status/1727651705309876546

Bristol Airport have just opened a "multi faith area" in their free pickup area.

It looks so ridiculous that I thought it was a joke to begin with.

Do we think that this is a textbook example of malicious compliance? It's hardly the Sagrada Familia or Taj Mahal is it?

 

[Watershed]

Who on earth is going to be praying outside? It beggars belief (I'll get my coat... )

 

[D2007wsm]

That would more likely get used as a toilet whilst people are waiting.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Who on earth is going to be praying outside? It beggars belief (I'll get my coat... )

Taxi drivers?

 

[AndrewE]

Taxi drivers?

which is about the only even vaguely tolerable answer, but I guess that the practicalities of that job mean that Muslims doing it can't be obsessive about the times they pray.
Unless there is a good explanation it really does look like a token effort to comply with the law or best practise or whatever, while deliberately or maliciously belittling the people it is provided for.

 

[AlastairFraser]

which is about the only even vaguely tolerable answer, but I guess that the practicalities of that job mean that Muslims doing it can't be obsessive about the times they pray.
Unless there is a good explanation it really does look like a token effort to comply with the law or best practise or whatever, while deliberately or maliciously belittling the people it is provided for.

Well, it's a gesture to accommodate people; if it's all they've been assigned budget for, then that's something.

 

[jon81uk]

Well, it's a gesture to accommodate people; if it's all they've been assigned budget for, then that's something.

Yep I also fail to see the problem. For those who are waiting to collect relatives or others from the airport they will need to get out the car to pray, so providing a space for them to do so is reasonable, but the budget likely isn't there to put a fully airconditioned building, but a shelter is better than nothing.

 

[YorkRailFan]

I wouldn't blame someone for using that to wait for a bus or taxi.

 

[Trainguy34]

I wouldn't blame someone for using that to wait for a bus or taxi.

If it was in Kent they would be praying that their bus turns up!

 

[YorkRailFan]

If it was in Kent they would be praying that their bus turns up!

Same with at Newquay Airport!

 

[AlastairFraser]

Yep I also fail to see the problem. For those who are waiting to collect relatives or others from the airport they will need to get out the car to pray, so providing a space for them to do so is reasonable, but the budget likely isn't there to put a fully airconditioned building, but a shelter is better than nothing.

Yeah, and the weather's not terrible in Britain most of the year.

 

[AndrewE]

Yeah, and the weather's not terrible in Britain most of the year.

... but when there is driving rain - or the surface water is flowing across the ground in one side and out the other - it won't seem very welcoming will it? In fact, it will show perfectly just how much (i.e. how little) respect is being paid to the people who might have wanted to use it.
Couldn't it have had a skirt down to the ground?

 

[AlastairFraser]

... but when there is driving rain - or the surface water is flowing across the ground in one side and out the other - it won't seem very welcoming will it? In fact, it will show perfectly just how much (i.e. how little) respect is being paid to the people who might have wanted to use it.
Couldn't it have had a skirt down to the ground?

That's not going to happen very often....

 

[Lewisham2221]

Surely they could've gone for a similarly sized portacabin???

 

[MP33]

The broadcaster Rabbi Lionel Blue said that one of his other roles was inspecting faith rooms at airports and other transport locations. if he was still around, I wonder what he would have said about it.

 

[Egg Centric]

... but when there is driving rain - or the surface water is flowing across the ground in one side and out the other - it won't seem very welcoming will it? In fact, it will show perfectly just how much (i.e. how little) respect is being paid to the people who might have wanted to use it.
Couldn't it have had a skirt down to the ground?

Indeed. Plus afaik muslims (who let's face it is who this is aimed at) have to(?) spend part of prayer kneeling down, and are hardly going to want to on a cold pavement, even with a prayer mat.

 

[Ediswan]

This seems to be an additional multi-faith area. An indoor area opened in 2019.
https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/co...ews-and-media-centre/2019/1/multi-faith-area/

New Multi-Faith Quiet Area opens at Bristol Airport​

Created: 25th Jan 2019
Bristol Airport has opened a new Multi-Faith Quiet Area in the Departure Lounge. Situated between the Central Walkway and Gates 32-34 on the first floor. The area provides passengers the choice of a quiet and reflective space located away from the main noise and activities of a busy airport. Signage has been installed in the departure lounge to direct customers to the area.

This Multi-Faith area is intended for those passengers wishing to have a quiet area for prayer and meditation and includes a compass indicating the direction of Mecca, as well as seating and soft furnishings.

 

[AndrewE]

This seems to be an additional multi-faith area. An indoor area opened in 2019.
https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/co...ews-and-media-centre/2019/1/multi-faith-area/

That's as maybe. If you are in the car park waiting to pick someone up it would not be very practicable to get into the terminal for a prayer and back out again. If it's in the departure lounge isn't that through security anyway?
(I must admit that it would never have occurred to me that this facility was needed in a car park though. What do Muslim bus drivers do?)

 

[jon81uk]

When searching for more information on this I found this article about issues with Heathrow https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56098146

A Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said it was not able to provide facilities in the car park due to "health and safety concerns".

Wonder why Bristol have decided they can have facilities and Heathrow not!

 

[sprunt]

As much as I'm not someone who complains about "elf and safety" because I think it's an important thing, I do think that organisations sometimes hide behind it when they can't be bothered doing something.

 

[Cloud Strife]

The broadcaster Rabbi Lionel Blue said that one of his other roles was inspecting faith rooms at airports and other transport locations. if he was still around, I wonder what he would have said about it.

I can say that the faith rooms in airports are often a complete disgrace. Stansted in particular is horrific, with a room that is right next to the toilets and completely too small for the intended purpose. Then there's the problem that if you want to use it when departures is shut overnight, you can ask them to take you there. But they often argue with you about it, and I even had one bloke telling me that "you're not Muslim mate, why do you want to go there?". He shut up when I asked for his boss, but it shows the mentality towards them.

I'm not religious, but I like to spend a few minutes in prayer rooms in quiet contemplation before a journey if I can.

 

[Egg Centric]

I think there's a big difference between not offering any prayer room at all, which seems perfectly reasonable to me, and offering one that is obviously terrible. The former doesn't really say anything about the putative users (there's no right to prayer rooms as far as I know and from a purely rational viewpoint the entire thing is a waste of resources) while the latter is demeaning and treating them like... well people you think it's acceptable to make kneel down in a cold and wet glorified bus stop*.

It would have been better to not provide one at all imo if they couldn't do it properly.


*I could make a very rude joke indeed here

 

[Lancs]

When searching for more information on this I found this article about issues with Heathrow https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56098146
Wonder why Bristol have decided they can have facilities and Heathrow not!

Bristol Airport is owned by some Canadian teachers as part of their pension plan, whilst Heathrow....