I recently subscribed to the Stations of the Cross, “The Twelve,” which delivers the top twelve religion-related headlines from around the world each day to my e-mail box. Today I found this article. Not surprisingly, this incident took place in England. The article opens:
Two schoolboys were given detention after refusing to kneel down and ‘pray to Allah’ during a religious education lesson.
Parents were outraged that the two boys from year seven (11 to 12-year-olds) were punished for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped.
Apparently the children were required to wear appropriate head dress, watch a film about Islam and then practice praying to Allah. The parents quoted in the article didn’t object to their children learning about different religions, but rather objected to children being punished for not participating in the prayer. As one parent said, “But if Muslims were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war.” (I assume this parent is talking about an Anglican church).
In the school’s defense, the following statement was issued by the Cheshire County Council:
A statement from Cheshire County Council on behalf of the school read: “The headteacher David Black contacted this authority immediately complaints were received.
“Enquiries are being made into the circumstances as a matter of urgency and all parents will be informed accordingly.
“Educating children in the beliefs of different faith is part of the diversity curriculum on the basis that knowledge is essential to understanding.
It should give us little comfort that this incident took place in England. In fact, children in the U.S. have been brought to mosques and required to participate in prayer services without parental knowledge or permission. You can see a video at this link. As always, parents must be vigilant.
Tags: Islam, News and Media, Progressive Drivel
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