removed a hand-lettered sign identifying
a room as the "Muslim Student Prayer Room"
after a school employee contacted the Tribune questioning the
constitutionality of setting up what looked like a mosque.
Posted on 10/25/2001 12:41:04 PM PDT by rface
According to the employee, who asked not to be named, inside the room there was also a sign asking visitors to "remove shoes when entering the mosque."
"The sign is not a good idea," Principal Bruce Brotzman said Tuesday. "It sounds like we set up a mosque in our school or" if it were "for Christians, a sanctuary. We are not going to do that. But to make space available to accommodate kids, that is something ... we want to do."
Practicing Muslims pray five times a day during specified windows of time. At least one of those times falls during the school day. Brotzman said that each year, students look for space for the daytime prayer. This year he offered them a small basement room after an elementary school’s gifted-education program moved out. The room has no window and is not identified with a room number.
"The most important thing is to find a place that is clean and quiet," said senior Rehab El-Buri. Last year students used the Performing Arts Center but would periodically find it occupied by a class or locked. She estimated about 30 students use the room from time to time, though on days when they have cars they might drive to the mosque downtown instead.
Rehab said Muslim students weren’t upset to see the signs go down. They were posted by a student whose family immigrated here two months ago and who is suffering from culture shock, she said.
"I know they didn’t open this room just for Muslim students. We may have the greatest need, but this is by no means a mosque," Rehab said. "I think the room should be open to Christians or Buddhists who want to pray."
Steve Benen, spokesman for the Washington-based group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the question of how far schools must go to accommodate daytime prayer by students has not been settled legally.
"The policy most schools take is one of accommodation, which seems to work for everyone involved," he said. "The caveat is that it must not be disruptive. … Rooms being set aside for exclusively religious use, that would be legally problematic."
Earlier this year, Americans United wrote letters of opposition to a Kentucky high school that allowed an outside person to renovate a classroom into a chapel, complete with pews carved with crosses, a pulpit and a copy of the Lord’s Prayer posted. The school set up the room for students who wanted to come voluntarily.
After communication with Americans United, the Kentucky school converted its chapel into a different school use.
Brotzman said Assistant Principal Kathy Ritter has explained to Muslim students that the room is not exclusively "theirs."
Brotzman said Christian students haven’t asked to use a school room during the day, though requests to use space before and after school aren’t uncommon. A flier posted on school bulletin boards advertised a meeting yesterday of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in the school commons. The meeting was to include songs and worship.
Rehab said her years at Rock Bridge have been the best of her life in terms of helping her feel comfortable expressing who she is. In middle school, she was "too much of a conformist" to break away to pray during the day. In junior high she gained confidence, but administrators didn’t help students find a room to use.
"When new Muslim families come to Columbia, I always recommend their kids go to Rock Bridge because they have been so overwhelmingly cooperative with us and so understanding," she said.
As far as Austin goes, maybe I'd like to visit, just Like I've visited DC, but I know that DC and me just wouldn't get along. Its the same scum factor ya'know.
Actually I did notice.
There's several nonnegotiable things that Muslims must do, and one is pray at certain times of the day, wherever they are at. I'm not defending, it I'm stating a fact.
Likewise I'm not defending the courts view on this issue, but I have a pretty good idea of how they would rule here, assuming they haven't already ruled on this subject. If you don't like the way the supreme court works, file an amicus curae with them when and if this comes up. I can't help you.
I'll say this though - if I was in a class of Moslems I wouldn't want to have to sit there and listen to them pray every day four times. Put yourself in the other person's shoes for once.
If I had my way I'd shut down all the damn public schools. Instead of getting religion into schools I want to get government out of the schools.
Anybody on this thread that sends their kid to public school had better get used to bending over and grabbing their ankles for the PS Kommissars. People getting free education for their kids should shut up and be happy to get it.
someone set us up the mosque!
You've got to be joking?
NOT as long as this nation's Liberal, Leftist-saturated Lamestream media are running the show.
No-no-no...you don't understand; the real story here will be the reaction to this hairbrain assinine stunt.
Want to *see* what the Associated Press will churn-out to their 1,550 member papers (& umteen TV/Radio stations)?
How about...
Yea.
*Big* story, eh?
You had to be kidding.
...wanna bet?
Also, don't call me honey until you can prove you're a cute chick.
But what if I want to pray to Yahweh silently in a private room, rather than in a room surrounded by jabbering teachers or students?
And to think I'd just been raggin' on NYState for electing Hell-ry, too.
-oy
You would have a cow
I wouldn't care at all if they did that, and I doubt that the administration would either.
What if you had a religion that mandated you snort up some cocaine three times a day? What do you think the Court would say to that?
I'm not worried about the Supreme Court being silly about this.
I don't really think the Supreme Court will grant some students the right to pray in a separate room in school and NOT allow others to pray.I think, instead, Catholics will get to pray the Angelus at Noon, Episcopalians will get to pray the "Hours" at the appropriate times, etc, if the USSC allows Muslims to pray in a special area at a special time.
The ACLU is anti-Christian foremost. This activity is Super-D-Duper as far as the ACLU is concerned.
Why should I be afraid to proclaim Christianity, while others are encouraged to openly practice and prefess their faith.
You have sided with the hypocrytes
Ashland, MO
Maybe a true christian would get out of Ashland and go back to Columbia to proselytize to the pagans, sodomites and libs there.
He could have a cow, that's udderly OK, just so long as he doesn't have a pig because that would upset the mohammedan student terrorists.
Is that clear?
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