Dear Ms. Communicate,
I'm a student and I work part-time in a section of the library of my university reserved for assisting and supporting students with academic problems/issues. I'm a white guy, and for quite a while I've been working hard to understand the power I hold and how it affects others who I interact with.
A few months ago a student came into the space while I was working and asked for "a quiet place" where he could be for a while. He had a prayer mat rolled up under his arm and he was brown skinned. I took a guess and asked him if he needed a place to pray. He said yes. I showed him an office that he could use. Fast forward to a few days ago, when another student came in (also brown) who asked the same question. He didn't have a prayer mat, and didn't have any other "visual cues" that would indicate he's Muslim. I told him that this wasn't a general study space and sent him away.
My question is, should I have asked him if he needed a place to pray?
Dear White guy wants to do the right thing,
For you to take a guess, without an obvious cue like with the first student, is a risky thing to say. You need to think about dealing with the possibilities of what the student may say if you're wrong. Also, maybe you can ask something more open like, "Can I ask what you need the space for?" "How long will you need the space?" "Is this for prayer, study, some other reason?" If you ask a series of questions, and not just "Do you need a space to pray?" it might seem less intrusive.
