The launch of student accommodation in Dundee specifically catering to Muslims has been branded “segregation”, with an MSP pledging to have the scheme shut down. “Faith-led” accommodation provider Ilm Halal Student Halls has opened the facility near both Abertay and Dundee universities.
The firm is billing the halls as the “first and only Halal accommodation” in Britain. “Premium En-Suite and Single Rooms” are presently being marketed at Rose House in the city, with Muslim students at St Andrews in Fife also being invited to apply.
Priced from £165 per week, Ilm pledges “premium facilities with no shared-flat surprises, no hidden charges, and a supportive community”. In a promotional film, Halal-only halls are characterised as “something we as Muslims require in our life to make sure that we connect to our religion and and please Allah”.
The 20 rooms feature fingerprint entry while items such as pork and alcohol are prohibited from the three kitchens. There are 10 shower facilities, a cinema, gym and relaxation space, with everything “centred around this most special room,” where residents can pray.
Marketing materials appear predominantly targeted at male students, though whether women are excluded remains uncertain. According to the firm, 11 of the rooms have already been reserved.
The website describes the facility as “not just a place to sleep,” but as a “supportive community designed for students who thrive in a clean, quiet, and values-led atmosphere”. It states the accommodation was “founded on values of safety, inclusion, and academic excellence,” and offers “a peaceful, values-led environment designed to support you through university life”.
While the website stops short of stipulating that residents must be Muslim, the targeting of a particular faith has proved deeply contentious. Reform MSP for the North East, Mark Simpson, declared he was “completely opposed to this” and “will fight to get it cancelled”.
Iain Gall, a Tory councillor in the neighbouring Angus authority, said: “This is so wrong, blatant segregation here in Scotland. Whoever sanctioned this should be removed from post. Imagine this was ‘white only’, media would quite rightly go mad.”
Nevertheless, others have highlighted that Catholic-only accommodation exists at Oxford. Halal meat refers to food considered permissible for Muslims under Islam.
In order to be considered halal, animals must be slaughtered in a prescribed manner, through the cutting of an animal’s jugular veins, carotid arteries, and windpipe.
Certain meats are forbidden, including pork, any creature with fangs that preys on other animals, and birds of prey. Alcohol is likewise prohibited for Muslims.