The president of the Universal Society of Hinduism hopes the Saskatoon Airport Authority will change its position on installing a multi-faith prayer room in the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport.
Rajan Zed issued a press release on March 20, supporting local taxi drivers who called for the religious space earlier this month.
“A multi-faith prayer room would help infuse spirituality into the atmosphere of this important airport and would provide a place for reflection and prayer for passengers, employees, visitors, taxi drivers and others using the airport,” states the release.
In an interview with Metro, Zed explained most major airports are located outside the city centre, which means observant staff cannot simply commute to worship during their breaks.
“Many international airports do have a multi-faith prayer room,” he said. “It would be a step forward for Saskatoon.”
Zed added that a place where those of all backgrounds can practice their faiths could help bring people together.
“Sometimes we don’t really know about other religions so this would be a good opportunity to meet each other,” he said.
The set-up is inexpensive, said Zed, a small room with rugs on the floor, chairs in the back and an assortment of scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran would suffice.
But the Saskatoon Airport Authority says it is not considering the possibility of a multi-faith prayer room on the grounds that the facility is an origin and destination airport, as opposed to a hub airport where travelers experience longer dwell times.
President and CEO Stephen Maybury was not available to provide Metro with a comment.