Schoolboys punished with detention for refusing to kneel and pray to Allah

"I find it hard to believe that at these times of political correctness in our society, children were told by their teacher to take part or face detention. In Christian schools in the UK children who do not want to take part in any form of Christian worship can be excused from it. Therefore if this was a Christian school and the Muslim children were told that they had to take part in Christian prayer activities or face detention, there would be a public outcry and screams of discrimination from the politically correct agencies in our society. I am all for children learning about other faith's in our society, but this incident could be called indoctrination and the teacher should be reprimanded for her actions."

I went to the link in the dailymail provided by Cutter and came across this response from a reader named Janet. I think her response says it all and very well. Couldn't agree more.

 

stupid teacher (haaaawwk ! pruh !):BangHead:
stupid school (expel air):BangHead:
brave boys !!! (drum roll, clap hands)... :applause: :thumbs:

 

Well, it seems the teacher got her comeuppance - she's been suspended, altho' apparently it doesn't signify disciplinary action. One can only hope that severe reprimand and public apologies to children, parents and school board will send a clear message to any other persons trying this stunt.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-punishing-boys-refused-kneel-pray-Allah.html

 

I would question the veracity of the article given it's the Daily Mail. But if true, then it's a grave abuse of the children's human rights.

 

LOL @ Matt Black - coming from a family of Mail readers I get where you're coming from. However, if the teacher has been suspended then it probably is true.

The fact it happened in a school in Alsager (a few miles from me) which is a very white-dominated area with very few Muslims, makes it all the more bizarre.

 

I think Janet is either wrong, or is using the term "Christian schools" very, very loosely to mean something like "all schools not run by a non-Christian religion". I say this because it is in state schools (what Americans call "public schools") that parents have the right to withdraw their children from R.E. (Religious Education) and worship. Indeed, the school in the Daily Mail article is a state school, not a Christian school. The right of withdrawal from RE and collective worship is set out in section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, which states:

(1) If the parent of a pupil at a community, foundation or voluntary school requests that he may be wholly or partly excused—
(a) from receiving religious education given in the school in accordance with the school’s basic curriculum,
(b) from attendance at religious worship in the school, or
(c) both from receiving such education and from such attendance,
the pupil shall be so excused until the request is withdrawn.

​

 

I hope "detention" can be used in American English as it can in British English, to mean a ponishment for a school pupil involving staying inside during a break time, or staying at school after normal school hours. If not, I have visions of the many Americans on the BB thinking of arrests and incarceration in jail! :laugh:

 

Yea... it means the same thing here.