Glasgow's museums and libraries have been asked to set aside a prayer room to encourage people of different faiths to use them.
The Burrell Collection, the Kelvingrove Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art are among those which have been asked to make facilities available for those who wish to pray during the day.
Some Muslims pray five times a day and officials believe many are inconvenienced by the lack of specific facilities. There are an estimated 50,000 Muslims in Scotland, four-fifths of whom stay in Glasgow. Sikhs also pray during the day but have a less structured timetable.
Tom Harrigan, the council's inter-faith liaision officer, has encouraged museums to become more user-friendly for people of a variety of faiths.
St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art has a room available to people on request. Other museums are expected to follow its example depending on the space available.
"This applies across the city council," said Mr Harrigan. "It is not just about museums but about all the council buildings including venues such as libraries. The aim is to make a room available for quiet contemplation so people from any faith or indeed none can go there. If people want to make a day of it at one of the museums we want to make sure they are able to follow their faith and that they have somewhere quiet to go."
He is also helping to arrange group visits for asylum seekers who, he says, often feel too intimidated to use the facilities. "We have had groups of people coming in from Sighthill and other areas and we are working with a number of organisations to make sure people realise the museums are here to be used by everyone in the community."
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "We are considering in which of our venues the idea might work."
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