Twelve WA Liberal MPs in Australia are asking Health Minister Kim Hames to allow Christian symbols in prayer and contemplation rooms in two new hospitals in Perth.
According to reports from WA Today, both Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Perth Children's Hospital will have multi-faith prayer rooms, but the hospitals will be dedicating separate prayer rooms for the Muslim community.
Peter Abetz, the state member for Southern River and a former pastor, said he saw the need to formalise the request because church leaders have raised some concerns about the fairness of the facilities.
"I don't in any way begrudge the Muslims for having their facilities there but, as a Christian, I kind of take exception to the health authority treating the Christians like a ... second-class citizen, when we make up 60 per cent of the population.Surely if it's good enough for those resources and that space for a small subset of our community, then surely it's appropriate to set aside space for the 60 per cent of the community," Abetz said in an interview with 6PR Morning programme.
Church leaders earlier demanded a separate area for Christians to pray at Perth Children's Hospital.
In a letter addressed to Health Minister Kim Hames, six religious leaders cited the unfairness of having a separate prayer area for Muslims while having none for Christians, despite outnumbering Muslims, reported Perth Now.
The group included tennis legend Margaret Court, who is now a senior pastor at the Victory Life Centre.
In an interview with Perth Now, Court clarified that she does not oppose a separate Muslim prayer room, but sees the need to have one area for the Christians as well.
"We are a Judaeo Christian nation and I think we seem to always be bowing to minority groups and I think it's very, very wrong. It's very important that we do not lose our values or our standards and I think a lot of people, particularly in a children's hospital... need somewhere to reach out to God," she said.
Health Minister Hames, for his part, justified the separate Muslim area on the ground that members of the faith need a place to conduct absolutions and cleansing rituals before prayers. The religion is also very strict about not allowing footwear into religious areas.
He said that all religions were "happy to use the multi-faith centre" where Christians resources will be located.
