Prayer mats sitting on lawn of Ont. legislature
TORONTO (CP) - Alongside the tourists snapping photos and people practising tai chi on the front lawn of the Ontario legislature today are seventy-five prayer mats.
It's an art installation by University of Waterloo student Alexander Josephson meant to stir up discussion about religion.
Josephson says the plastic-molded mats are precisely positioned so that they face Mecca.
He's encourages people to get down on the prayer mats and contemplate the motion that people all around the world go through five times a day.
Josephson says he was thrilled that about 80 non-Muslims decided to do just that Monday morning, and hopes more will be compelled to do the same.
Josephson has permission from the government to leave his art installation in place for two days.
"Hopefully Torontonians, because we seem to be sometimes docile to these things, will react," Josephson says. "It's human behaviour in this situation that I'm very interested in."
Prayer mats sitting on lawn of Ont. legislature
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