San Diego School Schedules Muslim Prayer Break

conservative · 08-04-2007, 10:00 PM

San Diego School Schedules Muslim Prayer Break

by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor

Attorneys ask for similar consideration for Christian and Jewish students. After Muslim students were given a scheduled prayer break each day, the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is calling for the same accommodation for other students who wish to pray.
Officials at San Diego's Carver Elementary allow Muslim students a 15-minute prayer break each afternoon. Non-Muslim students are instructed to read or write during the break.
Attorney Pete Lepiscopo, a PJI-affiliated attorney, sent a letter last week to the San Diego Board of Education that explains numerous statutory provisions that affirm students' rights of religious equality. Lepiscopo requested that classrooms be set aside for students and employees of all faiths to meet their religious obligations to pray � as is being done for Muslim students.
"The school district has created the opportunity to return prayer to school," he said. "What can be better than children praying while they are in school?"
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst with Focus on the Family Action, said as long as the school adheres to two constitutional guidelines, a designated time of prayer would be legal.

"First, no teachers could lead prayer or pray with students � everything must be voluntary by the students," he said. "Second, the school would have to make the same religious accommodation available for those of all other religions."

In order to ensure that all religious exercise is voluntary, the letter suggests that the prayer times coincide with recess.

Brad Dacus, president of PJI, said voluntary, student-initiated prayer in schools should not be controversial.

"The federal courts have held that schools do not endorse everything they fail to censor," he said. "This could be a terrific opportunity for a whole community to recognize the importance of faith in our youth, without government involvement or interference."

CitizenLink: San Diego School Schedules Muslim Prayer Break

Con:

Interesting that the public schools want to eliminate Christian influences in public school...but then want to institute Muslim prayer?

We are definately on the right road.

freckles · 08-04-2007, 10:15 PM

The break should be the time in between classes or after school

Vitiate · 08-05-2007, 12:04 AM

If I'm not mistaken, aren't Christians usually the ones wanting to institute a class on Creationism or putting up the 10 commandments in public schools? That seems far different than setting aside time for students to privately recognize their own religion. Granted, I think all religions should use this time for 'prayer' if they'd like, however, we aren't seeing any of the Muslims imposing a belief on other students. Of course this can be argued in that the prayer itself is imposing a time for religion. This is an issue that I have no concise stance on - share some views and I might be able to come to a conclusion.

blackbetty · 08-05-2007, 02:51 AM

Jews are required to pray three times daily. I don't know a single person whose school or employer accomodates them in this regard. If Christian students want to have a Bible class or prayer group in a public school building AFTER school hours....people have a shit fit and start screaming about separation of church and state.

Why is just this one religion accomodated in instance after instance when other religions are not?

conservative · 08-05-2007, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conservative

San Diego School Schedules Muslim Prayer Break

by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor

Attorneys ask for similar consideration for Christian and Jewish students. After Muslim students were given a scheduled prayer break each day, the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is calling for the same accommodation for other students who wish to pray.

Officials at San Diego's Carver Elementary allow Muslim students a 15-minute prayer break each afternoon. Non-Muslim students are instructed to read or write during the break.

Attorney Pete Lepiscopo, a PJI-affiliated attorney, sent a letter last week to the San Diego Board of Education that explains numerous statutory provisions that affirm students' rights of religious equality. Lepiscopo requested that classrooms be set aside for students and employees of all faiths to meet their religious obligations to pray � as is being done for Muslim students.
"The school district has created the opportunity to return prayer to school," he said. "What can be better than children praying while they are in school?"
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst with Focus on the Family Action, said as long as the school adheres to two constitutional guidelines, a designated time of prayer would be legal.

"First, no teachers could lead prayer or pray with students � everything must be voluntary by the students," he said. "Second, the school would have to make the same religious accommodation available for those of all other religions."

In order to ensure that all religious exercise is voluntary, the letter suggests that the prayer times coincide with recess.

Brad Dacus, president of PJI, said voluntary, student-initiated prayer in schools should not be controversial.

"The federal courts have held that schools do not endorse everything they fail to censor," he said. "This could be a terrific opportunity for a whole community to recognize the importance of faith in our youth, without government involvement or interference."

CitizenLink: San Diego School Schedules Muslim Prayer Break

The highlighted section says it all...Muslims are given prayer time, non-muslims arn't instructed to pray to their own God, no, they are told to "read or write".

The Muslims are given preferencial treatment, while Christians are not. It's bad enough that Christians are told to remove anything Christian from the schools, and that they were told not to pray in school, but now Muslims are give prayer time.

This country is headed down a dangerous road of political correctness.

TurnBackTheClock · 08-05-2007, 09:43 AM

They all should be granted time to pray. The Christians, however, do not have set times to pray, but it should be allotted to them. There is room to accommodate everyone.

Vitiate · 08-05-2007, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackbetty

Jews are required to pray three times daily. I don't know a single person whose school or employer accomodates them in this regard. If Christian students want to have a Bible class or prayer group in a public school building AFTER school hours....people have a shit fit and start screaming about separation of church and state.

Why is just this one religion accomodated in instance after instance when other religions are not?

Maybe jews never really brought it up as they assumed the 'seperation of church and state' up until now. And this is calling for an alotted time for prayer, where the students pray only to themselves and not to anyone else. Bible class certainly is not appropriate in a public setting, just as creationism has no place in public schools.

blackbetty · 08-05-2007, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitiate

Maybe jews never really brought it up as they assumed the 'seperation of church and state' up until now. And this is calling for an alotted time for prayer, where the students pray only to themselves and not to anyone else. Bible class certainly is not appropriate in a public setting, just as creationism has no place in public schools.

In other words, you are saying only Muslims get special accomodations in public schools. Hypocrisy and discrimination.

Your sentence "where the students pray only to themselves and not to anyone else" is nonsensical. You mean they are not praying to Allah? What exactly are you trying to say?

People have bitched because some schools say the Pledge of Allegiance because it references a generic 'god'. Anyone could say or not say the pledge and it didn't matter what religion - what 'god' - they were referring to. We can't do that in our schools but we can take time out of the school day for ONE religion to get down on their prayer rugs? Did you not notice that the non-Muslim students had to have their teaching interuppted for these prayer breaks? Is that fair? Were the Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc., offered a time and place for their prayers?

Schools have had to get rid of Christmas-related activities (it's now "Winter Break" instead of Christmas break), schools have even gotten rid of Halloween lest it offend someone.....school concerts in December cannot include any mention of Christmas...no "Away In a Manger", not even "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"....no Chanukah songs......all mention of anything remotely religious has been eliminated from the schools EXCEPT for Islam.

How is this fair?

Ausinus · 08-05-2007, 11:21 PM

They can pray in their own time

TurnBackTheClock · 08-05-2007, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ausinus

They can pray in their own time

That may apply to Christians and Jews, but Muslims have stated times to pray. They don't do it because other people are doing it.