TEXAS – A Christian university in Texas has opened a new prayer room for its Muslim students, accommodating their daily prayers and offering them a better chance to meet both their religious and scholastic obligations.

“On Friday, we get together and sometimes we have to go home to pray and we need to be in university so we don’t have time to go home,” Joe Yousef, president of McMurry’s Saudi Student Club, told The College Fix.

The Methodist-affiliated McMurry University has about 1,000 students, 60 of whom are Muslims.

Before the creation of the prayer room, Muslim students met for prayer in a nearby hotel.

McMurry’s chaplain, Jeff Lust, and Dr. Mark Waters, professor of religion and director of international education, reportedly helped the students in their effort.

Lust told KTXS that the room is “a step in the right direction.”

“We anticipate over time we’ll have students from a variety of countries and possibly different religions,” Lust said.

“We need to learn to live and work together in this world that is increasingly diverse and then we can truly become better together.”

The decision was also supported by many students.

“Being Christians, we should be open to free religion and letting everyone do what they want to do and I think the Muslim prayer room gives them that chance,” student Hector Flores told BigCountry.com.

Yousef said the room will also serve as a meeting place for a new interfaith club.

“We are going to talk about faith and belief,” he said.

“Some people have their own bias. We want people to get together, so we can help each other out.”