Chicago Public Schools set up Muslim Prayer Rooms

Chicago Sun Times ^ | November 29, 2001 | Rosalind Rossi

[notaliberal]

You are absolutley right! As a Catholic,our Mass on holy days are always scheduled early in the morning before work or school or in the evening to accomodate everyones schedule.

[rwfromkansas]

CALL THE ACLJ....ANYBODY WHO HAS A KID IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT AND IS A FREEPER. The ACLJ will likely help you out for free on this one....this could be a landmark case if it ever got to the SCOTUS that says it is NOT okay to support false religions and attack the Christian one in the public schools in the name of "tolerance" and allowing students the right to practice their faith (ignoring the Christians, of course).

[poet]

On the way home, I heard that they changed their mind when a Catholic official said that that was wonderful that they were doing it and then said "you are, of course, going to open prayer rooms for Catholics, Jews and other religions are you not?" The report then said the muslim prayer room was withdrawn. Rather than get bent "out of shape" his approach was clever.

[rwfromkansas]

That is what I am saying.....this is the promotion of a minority religion and EXALTING IT OVER the majority religion. Once this gets to the SCOTUS and they strike the puppy down, it is one of the few times I can honestly say I will applaud them on the religion cases.

[RobbyS]

The Churches have, for the most part, ceded society to commerce. Why, for instance, can we find no chapel/churches in shopping malls? It's for lack of will to compete;nor beause we can't afford to pay for the space.

[rwfromkansas]

Actually, you are wrong that a prayer room is unconstitutional because well, the Supreme Court is wrong. But, it is wrong in this case because the majority religion is not the one that is being used.

[rwfromkansas]

Amen

[rwfromkansas]

I mean that in this case, it is WRONG TO HAVE A PRAYER ROOM because the minority religion is being advanced, not that the Supreme Court would be wrong in calling this unconstitutional. My point was that it is not unconstitutional to have a prayer room alone though, even though the Supreme Court says otherwise

[MississippiMan]

Maybe the same reason why these "One World Religion" proponents so despise Him and will actually say that there is no room "fundamentalist Christianity" in a unified religion.

I'd say you're right. :)

MM

[garbanzo]

This one comes pretty close to the line here. In terms of Supreme Court rulings - this is on thin ice, giving that the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that setting aside space for particular religious observances is questionable if not unconstitutional.

In terms of what I think is constitutionally permissible, as long as there is no coercion or promotion of or affliation with a particular religion by the school then it is legal.

[garbanzo]

The critical distinction you seem to have missed is that ANY mention of the Judeo-Christian God in public schools is ILLEGAL.

This is not the case. Students are free to pray on their own time. Teachers are just not allowed to use school time to proslyetize.

[Sabertooth]

"Religion of peace" growl!

[All-American Medic]

Christians!!!! jump on this one and run with it, what's good for the goose is good for the gander!!!!!

[Travis McGee]

"MOHAMMED (ATTA) OPENING A NEW MOSLEM PRAYER ROOM IN NYC"

[Sabertooth]

Some Chicago schools, such as Von Steuben High, already set aside space for Muslim students to observe one of their five daily prayers, but other schools have been calling recently with questions about what is allowable...

How about what's inevitable?

[dennisw]

A major stink bomb is about to go off in Chicago due to this. Let them be shamed the same way the edu-crats in NYC were.

[MeekOneGOP]

Funny how the need to be PC has transformed the way the liberals look at prayer in school.

---

No doubt! Throw the folks in the closet with the guys in Maryland that want to Ban Santa Claus!

[Aeronaut]

This is good. Now with Advent beginning there will be a room set aside for Christian prayer, too. What? There won't?

[MissMillie]

Are Christians required to pray in a certain manner at specific times during the day?

The policy of giving the muslims a room to pray is necessary in order to protect their right to free exercise. If they were to bow east in the middle of class that would be disruptive.

I know of no particular instructions regarding Christian prayer that would pre-empt any student from praying anywhere on school property at any time during the school day.

Do you?

It should also be noted that schools can and do allow students to form their own prayer groups and bible study groups and use school property to do so.