Posted on 06/15/2006 11:44:49 AM PDT by Patriot62
On Friday afternoons, Nathan Hale High School senior Abdisiyad Adan asks his fifth-period teacher what he'll miss in class, writes down the homework for the weekend and leaves school.
Other Muslim students at Nathan Hale pile into Adan's car, and they set off for the Idriss Mosque a little more than a mile away. By the time they return from their mandatory Friday prayers, the school day is nearly over.
Adan's situation reflects the difficulties that the Seattle School District, and other public schools across the nation, face when dealing with Muslim prayer. Federal and state law prohibit teacher-led prayers in public schools, as well as student-led prayers at school events or religious programs. But laws protect the right of students to pray, and educators often struggle with how to accommodate students without disrupting class.
In Islam, prayer five times per day is obligatory. Adherents must face in the direction of Mecca and engage in a series of ritual movements. One of the five daily prayers must occur around midday, and on Fridays, the Muslim holy day, the midday prayer is supposed to occur in a mosque.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
I have a de-coder ring for ACLU announcements. The tidbit you noticed can be roughly translated as: "Die you Christian dogs! The Communist dictatorship is coming!"
If you would like to read a great article about Islam-Mecca-Saudi Arabia, go to yourarmstoisrael.org and select "sermon notes" and pull up "The Final End Time Beast".
Dear Mr. (fill in the blank), I have been receiving a lot of emails in response to my request for educators to participate on a committee to address the issue of accommodating prayer in schools. I hope this response will address your questions and concerns, as well as provide clarity regarding the purpose and goals of this committee. As you may be aware, we have a growing number of Muslim students attending Seattle Public Schools. This has generated a lot of questions from teachers about understanding the unique needs of our Muslim students. These questions range from the age students start to pray, differences in requirements for boys vs. girls, time of day prayer occurs, legal issues of prayer in school, and more. Some school leaders and staff have done a successful job in addressing this situation, and others are still working to figure out the best way to do so.
In response to the need for information from school staff as well as concerns from the community, we decided to form a committee. Our goal is to provide information to assist staff in knowing their Muslim students and to be supportive of the religious diversity in our schools. It is our hopes to provide them with knowledge about Muslim students and their need to pray at specific times of the day so that you they make educated decisions about what to do when this situation arises for them, as well as to explore specific religious accommodation needs for students from all religious communities.
To clear up any confusion, we are not trying to bring organized prayer into the schools, but are trying to find ways to meet the religious requirements of our students. The decision around prayer in schools is a federal issue. As a public educational institution we are not allowed to endorse any particular religion (i.e. leading students in prayer), and neither are we allowed to refuse a student the right to practice their religion. The U.S. Department of Education states that, “…the First Amendment forbids religious activity that is sponsored by the government but protects religious activity that is initiated by private individuals such as students”. We are not the only district struggling with these issues. Districts across the country are wrestling with how to address the growing number of Muslim students in their schools. The purpose of this committee is to address the issue rather than ignore it and to assist staff in responding to the needs of our diverse students, staff and families as we continue to strive towards a culture where everyone feels valued and welcomed.
Warm regards,
Caprice Hollins, Psy.D.
Director of Equity & Race Relations
Seattle Public Schools
Christians are such wimps. The Christian kids ought to leave at the same time as the Muslims and go to their churches to pray, returning "when the school day is almost over." What's fair for the goose is fair for the gander.
Not to mention the obligatory lopping off of the heads of infidels. How are they going to accomodate that ????
"Not to mention the obligatory lopping off of the heads of infidels. How are they going to accomodate that ????"
They'll bare their neck when the time is right... but it won't be optional.
"No Christian would be allowed to leave school for prayers no matter what sect they were. "
When I was in high school '64-'66 ,we had Release Time every Tuesday morning . The entire student population got an hour study period so that the Catholic kids could walk to the nearby church for classes for their confirmation.
Of course back in the early 60's 99.9% of the population of Rhode Island was Roman Catholic.
None that she can think of.
Legally, I don't see why this is an issue. Christians have been doing it for decades through "release time". And release time been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
where's the ACLU? Where's the people for separation of church and state?
Your reply falls under the category: "It's funny...but it's not!!" Sometimes I wonder if the gig is already up and we just don't know it yet. The body hasn't hit the floor yet...?
Actually, for a few years our church held Bible studies where the local kids could volunteer to come once a week to hear Bible stories and such. This occured during the school time with permission of the parents. And yes, it was the Seattle school district.
Seattle is so anti-Christian it;s sickening. This is an OUTRAGE!!
Wait until theres an off campus accident. The muslies will sue the school.
those of us who celebrate Festivus.
This sounds like excused truancy to me!!
The school should say NOPE, and go the truancy route, but the school has been schnockered, lock, stock and barrel!
I'm glad that I can silently pray to God anytime I want, with no regulations on when, how many times, how, or why I pray. No one can take that away from me.
"Federal and state law prohibit teacher-led prayers in public schools, as well as student-led prayers at school events or religious programs."
It does???
What 'law' is that?
Muslim derriere must be quite tasty to liberals; they sure lick it with alacrity -- and often.
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