Posted on 11/16/2001 1:23:34 PM PST by Sabertooth
After a flood of complaints about the decision by New York City's public school Chancellor Harold Levy to set aside special classrooms where Muslim students could pray during Ramadan, the plan has been abruptly dropped.
"The Schools Chancellor is making an about-face from yesterday's announcement that Muslim students could go to a special area on school grounds and pray for Ramadan," reported WABC Radio in New York, which broke the Muslim-prayer-in-schools story last month.
Civil rights lawyers as well as many in the general public were outraged at the double standard that blatantly violated the Supreme Court's ruling banning school prayer and they let their displeasure be known in calls to Levy's office.
The Catholic League, on the other hand, actually praised the decision, but noted the double standard in a press release Thursday.
"It is only fitting that the New York City public schools extend to Jews and Christians the same respect for their religious traditions and observances that they now extend to Muslims," Catholic League President William Donohue said.
"This is what diversity really meansgiving equal recognition to the diverse cultural and religious heritages that constitute the American mosaic. We expect our plea for parity will be granted."
Rather than granting parity, however, Schools Chancellor Levy abandoned the school prayer plan entirely.
"Students of all religious faiths can always pray but it cannot disrupt class and it cannot be offered in the form of a special prayer room," Levy's office said.
i usually agree with William Donahue but here he's flatly wrong. What diversity really means is balkanization and the death of America.
An example: My 2 girls attend Sudbury public schools in the People's Republic of Massachusetts. Their school calendar makes reference to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur specifically as holidays but declares Christmas and Easter as Winter Recess and Spring Recess respectively. They also honour any other religious holiday for the kids individually but never ever make any reference to Chrisitian holidays per se. I have nothing against Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah ...or even Purim for that matter:>) but why show favoritism..It's almost like the predominate religion in this nation historically is obligated to make itself invisible so as not to offend anyone else on any matter that is considered "public"..When I was a boy over 3 decades ago now....public schools made accomodations for all kids even though my school was predominately Christian...the dozen or so Jewish kids had their own thing and were exempt from Christian things.
Our Courts have sure let the anti-Christian secularists run wild over all of us and we've taken it lying down for the most part. This Ramadan reversal is a victory in an uncomfortable way...for me.
I thought the sarcasm was dripping out of that statement.
Yep.
Great post, Sabertooth...BUMP!!
Rather than risk Christianity in their socialist indoctrination center ?
Jeasus Christ just keeps ruining their Marxist plans!
Actually, I'm having a hard time, but it's nice to know you're past your "fear and trembling" phase. Could be a good career move.
Only pagan Gods allowed in school. Karl Marx said so!
If Christianity sneeks in, there goes years and years of socialist thought control, down the drain, and the lefties can't allow that to happen.
The Muslums must understand that it's not them, but the school has to do what's good for the whole peoples republic of China.......er......America.
Don't forget gutless.
They believe the world SHOULD work according to their theories and it drives them nuts when the real world doesn't.
They also see people as rats in an experiment and they think they can train them to do what their theory prescribes.
Only people are far more complex than rats and that too drives them bonkers.
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