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Interfaith Prayer Places at Int. Airport
3-26-2014
The Chapels and Meditation facilities at various airports are operated by the IACAC- International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplain. The object of IACAC is to see that all International Airports globally are equipped to provide space to the travellers of various faiths. The Airport Chaplaincy seeks to reflect spiritual and ethical values in human life at airports where they offer a faith based ministry to airport employees, travellers and visitors, be they of any faith or none.
In 2012 while returning from Hajj, and in transit at Shipol Airport in Amsterdam, we had the pleasure of spending several hours at one of this "Meditation Place" in completing our Salaah and relaxation while waiting for our flight back. This Meditation Room was well designed for multi-faith for people of monotheistic faiths and was used by the Christians, the Jews and the Muslims.
The Meditation Place gave me an inspiration to focus a similar model at the Vancouver International Airport. I had talked to various individuals including the MLAs and Minister of Multicultural Services but had no results.
In January this year, while travelling to Morocco, we stopped in Paris. At the Charles De Gaulle International Airport we looked for a prayer place, and to our astonishment, we were directed to a Meditation Place, Alhamdullillah. This place has three separate rooms and an office in the same unit. Each room is equipped for the three Monotheistic faiths. Besides the travellers in transit, there were several airport employees using the facility. Since the room was full my wife, Farida, asked one of the employee for a women's prayer place. He kindly asked her to talk to the Pastor who can help. The Pastor gave a space in his office to Farida. After the Salaah we went and met with the Pastor to thank him for his consideration and our appreciation of the facility. While talking to him he mentioned that it has been mandatory under Interfaith to provide these services and facilities at all International Airports with Wadu facility. We mentioned to him that Vancouver has a Chapel which is misleading to Muslims. He agreed and he gave us the contact of the Vice President of IACAC in Vancouver. Fortunately there will be a convention in late February this year at Amsterdam where this could be discussed, In Shaa Allah.
I have contacted the Vice President and soon we will discuss, In Shaa Allah, how this facility can be accommodated at Vancouver Airport, same as the facility at Charles DeGaulle International Airport with Pastor, Rabbi and Imam to greet travellers and visitors at the Vancouver International Airport. This was an extremely wonderful experience and I would like to share with our Muslim Community.
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