TX principal: Muslim students allowed to pray only OUTside building

That was his second choice, the first was to not pray at all....


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-muslimprayer_22met.ART.North.Edition2.102ca3ad.html

Mr. Yartym's e-mail, obtained by Becket, told staff that no groups were to be treated differently than any other with regard to prayer.

"No students are to be allowed to leave classroom at any time to go pray," because that would constitute special accommodations, the e-mail read.

The e-mail went on to say that students would not be given passes to leave classrooms to pray but that they could pray during lunch in the library or cafeteria but not travel between the two locations. A subsequent e-mail from Mr. Yartym to staff said students who want to assemble to pray must leave the building.

<snip>
New guidelines:
Students may pray in the empty hallway next to the cafeteria after lunch, but if the group becomes too large, the cafeteria monitor may stagger the times students gather.
• October through March, when a prayer falls during fifth-period class, students may pray outside the classroom in the nearest alcove just after the tardy bell.
• Prayers should be completed as quickly as possible to minimize lost class time.

Why should ANY faith be accommodated in public schools? Just because we're good liberals, and we should feel sorry for our poor persecuted Muslim brethren? Bullshit. This is a PUBLIC SCHOOL. NO special accommodation for student prayers. Students may pray privately, as long as they are not disruptive. Assembling and/or setting out prayer rugs is disruptive.

I prayed in my classroom during the lunch hour. It did not cause a disruption. When I was in high school, my Catholic peers were allowed to go to church for Ash Wednesday and come late (and keep the ashes on their foreheads), and the Jewish kids were always allowed to stay home during High Holy Days. I have no problem with any of these activities.

you said. You said "NO special accommodation for student prayers." There is a difference between Muslim and Christian prayer, in that Muslims are required to pray at certain times of the day and in certain ways, whereas Christians aren't, and can pray anywhere, any time. Schools and most employers do make concessions based on religious and cultural beliefs and practices (and for Muslims, the specific manner of prayer is both religious and cultural). Religious holidays are usually reasons for excused absences.

It sounds like the principal is making a good faith attempt to accomodate everyone. If I read it correctly, he even acknowledges that one prayer will fall during fifth period for part of the year, and has authorized the students to be tardy (they can pray AFTER the tardy bell).

I think everything possible should be done to accommodate a person's religious requirements, as long as the accommodations don't become official school endorsement (such as classroom prayer), and as long as they aren't completely disruptive for everyone else.

then I don't have a problem with it.

As long as people of all other faiths are treated the same way.

I would hate for them to be left behind. :eyes: