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.
Just who would want to make a case for an established religion in the US anyway? Established religions are in England and other countries---not here.
Most Americans would be afraid to put the words 'established religion' in the same sentence with 'US Government' or 'public education' . Belief in the value of an individual's conscience (ala the Great Awakening) is a good part of the reason we don't believe in dictators in the US.
What I do in Columbia is not nearly enough, that's for sure.
Who appointed you the arbiter of when Christians pray? Where do you get off telling a few thousand Christian denominations what their requirements for pray are?
I agree.
We also have the most liberal state senators and representatives. Not even the socialist, anti-American, hands-out welfare pimps from the two big cities are as liberal as our reps. Lucky us, eh?
But we got Hulshof, and I like him
For the record, I don't think there should be state supported public schools period, and we would not have these debates at all, or complicate our lives with these issues. Therefore, I hold no opinion on this issue, because it frosts me that I have no kids but have to pay taxes to support these government indoctrination camps.
I assure you, my children will pray in school, because they will be sent to a Catholic school. I would never allow my kids in one of those prison camps, and I continually question why other parents do.
I have a decided lack of pity for people who confiscate my tax dollars to educate their children for free, and then complain because the school isn't run in the precise manner that they advocate. They're lucky they have schools at all.
Have a nice day, Mr. Clinton?
That is what it comes down to doesn't it? All your prattle about freedom comes down to your hope a judge will take it away. Why not just back off? Get your snout out of other people's faith. No business of yours how anyone relates to their God. If you don't want to hear it, don't listen. Go somewhere else . I suggest Iraq.
Its not the Muslims as much as it is the double standard. Let them all pray!
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