A Target store situated in a Minneapolis suburb recently caught attention after designating a hallway with six fitting rooms, possibly transforming part of the space into a Muslim prayer area.
Located in Apple Valley, Minnesota, just south of the Twin Cities, this particular store became the subject of interest when a concerned shopper snapped photos of the altered area. These images were subsequently shared with Alpha News.
The photos depict retractable belts blocking off both ends of the hallway. A notable sign on one of the doors reads ‘RAMADAN MUBARAK,’ an Arabic greeting commonly used during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan this year spanned from the evening of February 17 until March 18. Given that the holy month concluded over two months ago, the reason the sign remains displayed is unclear.
The sign further indicates, ‘This room is being used for prayer. Please do not enter.’ It remains uncertain whether this area is intended for use by customers or employees seeking a space for prayer.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Target for clarification regarding the duration and future plans for the sign, as well as whether similar accommodations have been made in other locations to support Muslim prayer practices.
According to the federal Civil Rights Act, businesses must provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ to employees’ religious beliefs and practices, though there is no mandate to create spaces specifically dedicated to prayer or other religious needs.
Despite that lack of a legal mandate to create prayer spaces, it appears that the Apple Valley location is not the only Target store to have created an area dedicated to Muslim prayer.
This hallway with six changing rooms at a Target store in a Minneapolis suburb was cordoned off, appearing to have been converted at least partially into a Muslim prayer area
A concerned shopper took photos of the repurposed area. It is unclear whether the space was meant for customers or employees
The customer took this photo of a sign on the door that included a common Arab greeting during the holy month of Ramadan, which ended about two and a half months ago
A 2023 post in the Target Reddit community showed photos of a prayer room and was titled: ‘HR set up a prayer room for Muslim TMs (team members).’
One of the top comments in the thread said: ‘We had a lot of those in Minnesota stores. It was very thoughtful and considerate and truly inclusive.’
Another user replied to that comment and wrote: ‘Minnesota here, we have a prayer room too! Our HR recently decorated it, idk how many team members we have who actually take advantage of it (we’re a very white store) but it’s really nice!’
Someone else replied, ‘It’d be nice if they did something like this for Christians,’ but their comment was downvoted to the point that it was hidden.
Reddit’s website automatically hides comments that receive enough downvotes, as it assumes they are controversial.
The recent photos of Target’s prayer room were taken less than two months after it was revealed that a Minneapolis-area school district plans to add a prayer room and a foot-washing station for Muslim students to two of its high schools.
The renovations, which will be funded with taxpayer dollars, were included in updated plans for the district’s Building a Better Future initiative, a roughly $375 million effort backed by voters in 2022 and 2023.
School officials told the Daily Mail in April that the Park Center Senior High School’s plans call for a ‘multipurpose space,’ which was ‘mislabeled in construction documents’ as a prayer room.
The photos of the Target Muslim prayer room were taken soon after it was revealed that a Minneapolis-area school district included a prayer room in its high school renovation plans
School district officials said the prayer room was mislabeled but conceded that a foot-washing station was indeed part of the plans
District officials said the foot-washing plans ‘were included in updated plans after hearing from user groups on student needs.’
Still, the plans sparked outrage as critics cited the US’s founding principle of separation of church and state.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a congressman from Minnesota, hit out at the plans in a post on X.
‘Turns out when the woke left says they want religion out of schools, they’re only talking about Christianity,’ he wrote.
‘Maybe if Osseo worried about Somali gang violence as much as they worry about pandering to America-hating leftists, their schools and streets would be safer for their students,’ Emmer added. ‘Just a thought.’
