Prayer in school!?!?
By MrNiceGuy
@MrNiceGuy (4141)
United States
January 1, 2007 12:49pm CST
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/014630.php
The Spotswood High School students are researching the Muslim culture and finding out how much no one really knows about this culture that is sometimes is negatively stereotyped by the public.
"What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Islam?" said Casey Morris.
"Iraq," a fellow student replied.
That's what Casey Morris hopes to eliminate through his research project, the stereotypes the public has about Muslims. Not only will he learn about the culture by wearing traditional Muslim clothing and praying five times a day, but "Also going without pork for 30 days, that's going to be rough but we'll make do," said Morris.
Morris says he is prepared for the criticism that comes along with it.
"Yeah, we're probably going to get some funny looks as we go down the hallway. I'm expecting comments maybe here and there. You know what, I'll be honest, I'll be disappointed if we don’t get some," said Morris.
Members of the Muslim community here in the Valley say many people don't understand the Muslim culture.
"Any effort that tries to educate people and increases to their information can turn very positive towards wider benefit of our society," said Zulfiqar Ishaq, a member of the Muslim community.
Morris' goal is to get a big dose of multiculturalism.
"Alan and I will obviously come out of the deal with a great understanding of the culture with great respect and appreciation for the Islamic culture and hopefully we'll impart some of that upon other people too," said Morris.
"What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Muslim?" asked Morris.
"Umm, prayer books?" replied a student.
Morris says he and his classmate will start the actual project January 2 and go for the whole month. They will capture everything on video and put together a documentary not only showing what they learned, but the local attitudes toward Muslims as well.
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So how do people feel about prayer or religion in school? Does your opinion change when it is Islam being taught? I can understand the idea of learning more about it, but whitewashing the history and forcing the practicing of their customs? You know its politically correct version that clouds the real history or current facts surrounding controversy in Islam.
I've seen this in about half a dozen different articles, why is it that only Islam is acceptable in schools? Shouldn't we be teaching about the dangers and problems with Islam that are confounding the world at least on top of religious education, not just leaving it out completely. I saw one school example that was teaching the plight of Muslims as an excuse for terrorism.
5 people like this
8 responses
@Gigglygrrl (362)
• United States
23 Jan 07
When I was a freshman in high school we did a comparative religion class. We read from all the religous texts and it was really interesting to see how they all were very similar in many ways.
I don't believe this class is meant to indoctrainate anyone it is being used as a tool to show how we treat people different from us. How it is easy to stereotype without any real knowledge.
There was one 1st grade class I taught, I had a Muslim, Rasta, Buddhist and Chrsitians of all sorts including a Jehovah. Which God should I have had my students pray to?
Personally, as an atheist, I see no problem with teaching comparative religion courses at the high school level. They are facinating. What I refuse to do as a teacher is lead a prayer of any sort.
And to those of you who constantly state that "God" has been taken out of schools, you are mistaken. I taught in an inner city high school that had a prayer circle outside at the flagpole everyday before school. There was a Bible study group that met with a teacher sponser 3 times a week. And any child at any time may pray to themselves, in their head. There is no need to involve the entire class. So if your child wants to pray, have at it. I even let my seniors one year pray before they took the state test. I did not guide it and maybe I shouldn't have allowed it. I asked if anyone had issue with it and the Islamic female in the class had no issue she just didn't pray with them. This was the last time the seniors could take this test to pass it to graduate. It was no big deal because we were a very close knit class. They knew I was atheist and respected that just as I respected them.
@SirPyan (429)
• Malaysia
22 Jan 07
I don't see it as a threat. Prayer doesn't have anything to do with negative thinking. It just taught a Muslim to always remember God. Christians go to church every Sunday, that is usual, it is the same for Muslims in term of prayer. Even at school, colleges and universities at my place, there are certain subjects that involves several religion as well. These subjects are being taught to all regardless of their religion, and the subject only contains general knowledge, enough to build understanding with each religion.
There's no such thing as teaching about Islam would provoke terrorism. It's not the religion, it's how you teach. If you teach the younger generation with:
"YOU MUST KILL!! YOU MUST KILL!! YOU MUST KILL!!"
Of course he will be a terrorist. :D
So you teach them general knowledge about each religion as an exposure.
1 person likes this
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
22 Jan 07
That Web site wasn't very clear, but it sounds like this is a research project by a group of non-Muslims, not a school-sponsored prayer group.
The article also doesn't even say that the students will be doing their five times a day prayers on school property.
Sounds like this is someone's attempt to make twist the facts to make it look like a school is allowing Muslim prayer.
MrNiceGuy, I'm not sure how you can say this learning project is "whitewashing" the history of Islam--if these students are doing a project to learn, isn't it possible they might learn both the positive *and* negative aspects of a religion or tradition?
Also, I'm suspect of a site that calls itself 'jihadwatch,' it sounds like something that seeks out anti-Muslim articles, or takes events and twists them to cast Muslims in a negative light. Since there is so much of this stuff already flying around, I'd have prefered if you investigated this a little more before posting the discussion, to see if this Web site is just making a mountain our of a molehill.
But I feel this too shall pass. In previous decades blacks, hispanics, Jews, etc. were demonized and subject to this kind of suspicion and hatred.
Not to mention Italians, Irish, etc. I think you'd agree that none of these groups are evil, like they were portrayed to be in past decades in the U.S.
@MrNiceGuy (4141)
• United States
22 Jan 07
I never said they were evil. I never insinuated as much. Jihadwatch is a very good site BTW, only providing commentary on news sources from other places in the world that our mainstream media does not pickup, and sometimes bigger stories that they do.
Better to be aware of the "molehill" lest you fall over it.
@MrNiceGuy (4141)
• United States
23 Jan 07
Your right, let me go back and try to find the other stories regarding this subject. I chose this one because it is happening literally 10 minutes ride from where I am staying right now.
Thanks about my rating :)
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/014367.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/014308.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/013942.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/013736.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/013657.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/013577.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/011738.php
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/011530.php
Check www.jihadwatch.com/dhimmiwatch for more. They are all taken from outside media.
@kiwimac (323)
• New Zealand
23 Jan 07
First thing:
Islam is not a culture, it is a religion which transcends cultures just as Christianity is not cultural IN ITSELF. All religions, however, are inevitably affected by the cultures around them which is why when you look at Islam / Christianity in Africa (for example) you can see immense similarities between the two religions.
I have no problem with prayer in school as part of social or historical studies. The only way to understand another religion is to study it. As for 'dangers' from Islam they cannot be studied apart from a more general political study of relationships between the Muslim and non-Muslim world but even that study has to begin with information about Islam-the-religion.
With regard to your last comment, there are indeed some areas in the world where the socio-political plight of Muslims has led to 'terrorism', Afghanistan where the US happily supported terrorism against the Soviets and then dropped the country leaving them to fend for themselves, Iraq, where the US has destroyed the infrastructure of the society, is now a hotbed of terrorism.
Remember one person's terrorist is another's freedom-fighter, the tactics the Muslims in those countries are using are no different (allowing for changes in technology) than the US used against the British. Take the time to study just how a weaker power can fight a much more powerful one, look, for example, at how the Resistance in Europe fought the Nazis. Then perhaps your comments might carry some weight.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
23 Jan 07
This is an interesting topic. I must admit I know very little about the Islam faith.
I dont think prayer should have ever been taken out of the schools. Look what has happened in the schools since its removel, school shootings after shootings. It has reached the point that most schools have to have a securtiy guard on school property. Sad
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
22 Jan 07
I think there has been a great effort in this country to understand muslims ever since 911. But teaching the plight of muslims as an excuse for terrorism is ridiculous.
The whole idea of teaching comparative religion vs. the actually practicing of religion on campus is a prickly one and there is a thin line.
I live in the Philadelphia area where we have a large number of Quakers. Now
many public schools have a quiet time in which students can choose to read the bible on their own, read a book, daydream etc. But for Quakers "quiet time" waiting for the spirit to enter IS religious practice. So is there religion in the schools when there is quiet time???
@AmberNormandin (883)
• United States
22 Jan 07
prayer should have never been removed from school. period. kids might have an easier time going down the right path if their peers are praying and such in front of them. kind of like fellowship.
