Middle school students pray at mosque during field trip; soccer moms outraged. - Polidicks

[release]WELLESLEY — This affluent suburb found itself cast squarely into the culture wars yesterday, as controversy engulfed school officials over a field trip to a Boston mosque where several sixth-grade pupils were videotaped kneeling during a prayer service. As blogs and talk radio programs raged over whether the school should have allowed the trip, the mosque issued a statement saying there was no attempt to coerce the children and accusing critics of fear-mongering. The influential American Jewish Committee called for tighter guidelines for educational trips to religious settings, and First Amendment advocates said such outings ominously blur the divide between church and state. But those who had the greatest cause for anger, parents of Wellesley students, emerged as the school’s most vigorous defenders. At coffee shops and in school parking lots, they insisted that the visit to New England’s largest mosque was a valuable educational experience that would help children gain an understanding of the Muslim faith. The backlash against the visit, many said, underscored the need for such exchanges. “It was just a simple prayer,’’ said Marijane Tuohy, a 56-year-old who accompanied her sixth-grade daughter on the May trip. “I think the students were just trying to experience it. They weren’t being indoctrinated. If anything, it was just the opposite.’’ On Thursday, a group critical of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center released the recording, taken by a parent who chaperoned the field trip. That prompted a quick apology from the superintendent of Wellesley schools, Bella Wong, who said teachers should not have allowed pupils to take part in the midday prayer service, and she regretted “the offense it may have caused.’’ That didn’t stop the controversy from escalating into the latest skirmish in the national debate over the place of Muslims in American society. A number of religious freedom advocates said that visiting a mosque during midday prayer services put impressionable students in a delicate situation. “It’s very important that public schools not put students in a position where they feel obligated or pressured to participate in worship and that they never be subject to proselytizing,’’ said Joe Conn, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C., education group. “The bottom line is the school fell down in its responsibility.’’ Other groups said the episode exposed the need for vigilance on public school visits to churches, synagogues, and mosques, and the American Jewish Committee’s Boston office called upon state and local education officials to develop safeguards to prevent similar incidents. “State-run organizations have an added burden to ensure that they do not directly or indirectly favor, endorse, or disparage religious teachings or practices of any community,’’ said Rob Leikind, director. “When a public school takes children to a church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious institution, they no longer have control over the environment.’’ Wong, who did not return phone calls seeking comment yesterday, said in a letter to parents that teachers anticipated that prayer services would coincide with the pupils’ visit, but made “an error’’ in allowing the children to take part. The field trip was part of a required social studies course, “Enduring Beliefs and the World Today,’’ which introduces students to world religions. Students had earlier visited a synagogue, attended a gospel music performance, and met with Hindus. In response to the escalating controversy, the Muslim American Society of Boston, which operates the mosque, condemned the group Americans for Peace and Tolerance for releasing the video. Bilal Kaleem, president of the group, said the heavily edited footage created a misleading impression that the mosque coerced the students into prayer. “At no point did we attempt to proselytize students, or teach them how to pray, or even invite them to pray,’’ Kaleem said. “Each month about 15 schools, churches, and synagogues reach out to us requesting tours and requesting to see a Muslim prayer. The visit from Wellesley was no exception.’’ In her letter to parents on Thursday, Wong said a representative of the mosque told pupils they were welcome to join in the prayer. Kaleem accused the head of the group that released the video of fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment, and said the video was taken without the permission of the school, parents, or children. The video was part of “an orchestrated campaign,’’ Kaleem said, to raise suspicions about the mosque. In Wellesley, parents also questioned the motives of the parent who took the video. “If you feel that strongly about how wrong this was, then you shouldn’t hide behind your anonymity,’’ said Mary Crown, whose son attended the trip. Crown said her son “learned a lot about Islam and Hinduism that frankly I didn’t know and that I should have known.’’ Ute Smith, whose daughter attended last year’s field trip, had similar questions. “It seems opportunistic to release this now when there seems to be a distinct atmosphere of anti-Islamic sentiment in this country,’’ Smith said. “If she thought this was so outrageous, why didn’t she go to school officials and release her video straightaway?’’ Tuohy did not see how the boys joined the prayer service, but speculated they participated as a sign of respect. “I think they were just trying to be immersed in it,’’ she said. The video, taken from across the room, shows the boys rising to their feet with a line of male worshipers. Tuohy said the rest of the class was observing the prayers. Tuohy said she understood the church-state concerns, but likened the visit to a tour of a cathedral during prayer services. But critics said the pupils’ participation in prayer clearly crossed a line. “Public schools need to have clear guidelines that these field trips are for educational purposes only,’’ said Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center. “If it’s a school-sponsored activity, it may not involve religious practice.’’ Simply observing prayer services, Haynes and others said, was problematic. “I think it’s too close to participation for comfort,’’ he said. “Observing is a gray area, but these are sixth-graders. They are in a place of worship with worship going on, and I think that crosses the line.’’ In milder terms, educators agreed. Paul Andrews of the state’s Association of School Superintendents said the controversy served as a cautionary tale. “It sends up a little bit of a warning signal that we need to be more aware of this,’’ Andrews said. “You can understand the sensitivity.’’ Globe correspondents Katrina Ballard and Sarah Thomas contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at [email]schworm@globe.com[/email] [/release] [url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/wellesley/articles/2010/09/18/wellesley_pupils_prayers_at_mosque_fuel_call_for_policy_change/?p1=News_links]Source: Boston.com[/url] The video the kids appeared on was put together by the Americans for Peace and Tolerance... :irony:

Oh well. At least the kids are being shown multiple perspectives of things. As long as that happens I don't care what they decide to believe. I mean, we should be used to the whole "Outraged Christians bash other abrahamic religion that has many of the same beliefs anyway because a few members of it bombed them nine years ago" thing by now.

How dare they indoctrinate our children into their bullshit, underscoring our attempts to indoctrinate them into our bullshit!

What the hell, mosques are supposed to be just as holy as a church, to both christians and muslims.

They were showing respect, you don't show up to a place of worship and just stand around like an ass when there is a service going on.

Really it's just a respectful thing to pray at a religious site. You would do it at a synagogue too. [QUOTE=evilweazel;24899291]They were showing respect, you don't show up to a place of worship and just stand around like an ass when there is a service going on.[/QUOTE] Oh this

[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24899281]What the hell, mosques are supposed to be just as holy as a church, to both christians and muslims.[/QUOTE] No they're not. They're as holy to christians as churches are to muslims

Why is there even an argument over this? From what the article said, the kids where participating in it voluntarily. Or are there rules against participating in religious ceremonies? EDIT: Title was a little misleading, I got the idea that the soccer moms were against this.

[QUOTE=evilweazel;24899291]They were showing respect, you don't show up to a place of worship and just stand around like an ass when there is a service going on.[/QUOTE] precisely. I'm atheist and I bow my head during prayer whenever I find myself at a church service. I'm not exactly going to flip the priest the bird, walk out and have a smoke, amen. [editline]01:09PM[/editline] I would love to visit a mosque sometime

Looks like the 6th graders are more mature about tolerance of religion than most of American adults. :sigh:

[QUOTE=Triumph Forks;24899356]I would love to visit a mosque sometime[/QUOTE] Same here, even though I'm a Lutheran. And a mildly conservative one at that.

[QUOTE=Dimitri;24899402]Looks like the 6th graders are more mature about tolerance of religion than most of American adults. :sigh:[/QUOTE] at least our future is going to be in good hands i fucking hope so

Title is more misleading than a drunken guide dog.

How dare those Muslims pray on those kids!

"it draws a thin line between church and state." Oh, so [B]NOW[/B] they want to talk about church and state? Jesus Christ, If it had been a Christian church there would have been little to no controversy at all, the school would probably get praised for it. Hell, i'm an atheist and i even i bow at Places of Worship simply because its respectful

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;24899407]Same here, even though I'm a Lutheran. And a mildly conservative one at that.[/QUOTE] I've been to churches a fair bit in my time, and have been taken away by the architecture and just the majestic beauty of the older cathedrals, on top of the hallowed, reverent air about them. I imagine mosques to be just as captivating, but a fresh perspective of that same feeling

The line between religion and state should be so thick you couldn't see the end even with a telescope.

[QUOTE=Triumph Forks;24899677]I've been to churches a fair bit in my time, and have been taken away by the architecture and just the majestic beauty of the older cathedrals, on top of the hallowed, reverent air about them. I imagine mosques to be just as captivating, but a fresh perspective of that same feeling[/QUOTE] Lucky, the church I belong to is made of cinder blocks and currogated steel. At least it looks decent on the inside.

Muslims need to pray 5 times a day. The Muslims praying, shouldn't be a problem. As for the non-muslims, they were probably only kneeling down; there's actually a lot you have to say under your breath while you're praying. If all they were really doing is kneeling down among a crowd of people praying to a God what's the harm? Even if they were praying to God, like mentioned in the article it's a simple prayer. As long as they weren't forced no one has any reason to be upset.

I was taken to a mosque on an organised school trip at age 11, no one thought anything of it. Glad I live in the UK

:regd09: Whatever you believe, don't dump it on the kids, [U]let them search for their own answers and beliefs[/U]. If anything, it's most of the time the parents who indroctinate the kids.

nevermind

If I figured out that my children respected the rules of the mosque and explored their beliefs like that, I would be incredibly proud.

Another point to add, if the school is taking the children to observe the worship and they participate out of respect when this religion is a PART OF THE CURRICULUM maybe it's the curriculum that needs to be changed, rather than other rules enforced. If a child chooses to be a part of a religion while they're growing up, they need the school to give them opportunities to explore whatever they find to be best.

Religion is the problem. [editline]07:40PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Dark-Energy;24900018]Fucking soccer moms, I can't believe people like them still exist in our society, they are far beyond simply being just a detriment. They've taken this way too far, it's becoming a fucking plague, spreading like a god damn virus. Why don't you do something better for us, like, rot inside a fucking coffin 6 feet underneath the ground. How does that fucking sound bitch? This is supposed to be a country of free speech and free religion, not a country where a group of some stupid mindless cunts opinion dictates what others do, and fuck any rights they have. Oh, big fucking deal. A small group of terrorists bombed New York and the Pentagon and happened to be Muslim at the same time...so how does this suddenly represent all of Islam? If it does, why don't you judge Christianity by the actions of the Westboro Bapist Church? I'm sorry, but I just had to vent, regardless of if I had misread the article. I am Athiest myself, but I also believe that religion has a right to be here in this country. I can disagree with your believes as much as I want, but I cannot tell you what you can or cannot do. That is called freedom of speech.[/QUOTE] At this guy

[QUOTE=Dark-Energy;24900018]Fucking soccer moms, I can't believe people like them still exist in our society, they are far beyond simply being just a detriment. They've taken this way too far, it's becoming a fucking plague, spreading like a god damn virus. Why don't you do something better for us, like, rot inside a fucking coffin 6 feet underneath the ground. How does that fucking sound bitch? This is supposed to be a country of free speech and free religion, not a country where a group of some stupid mindless cunts opinion dictates what others do, and fuck any rights they have. Oh, big fucking deal. A small group of terrorists bombed New York and the Pentagon and happened to be Muslim at the same time...so how does this suddenly represent all of Islam? If it does, why don't you judge Christianity by the actions of the Westboro Bapist Church? I'm sorry, but I just had to vent, regardless of if I had misread the article. I am Athiest myself, but I also believe that religion has a right to be here in this country. I can disagree with your believes as much as I want, but I cannot tell you what you can or cannot do. That is called freedom of speech.[/QUOTE] You misread, I'm afraid. The soccer moms are supporting religious freedom, surprisingly.

This article enrages me..

[quote]“At no point did we attempt to proselytize students, or teach them how to pray, or even invite them to pray,’’ Kaleem said. “Each month about 15 schools, churches, and synagogues reach out to us requesting tours and requesting to see a Muslim prayer. The visit from Wellesley was no exception.’’[/quote] Sounds like the kids prayed under their own free will so I'm not seeing the problem here. I would have likely just stood there and observed, even in grade 6, but if someone wants to join in for the hell of it they should be allowed to.

[QUOTE=evilweazel;24899291]They were showing respect, you don't show up to a place of worship and just stand around like an ass when there is a service going on.[/QUOTE] Unless it's not your religion.

It doesn't matter if it's not your religion. Example, if you live in India (just an example) there are Hindu's, Sikhs and Muslims. Now if you are invited to to the temple, or a mosque, people usually go there and attend a service. Are you converting? No. You're showing respect to that faith. People need to be more open minded in America, seriously. I have seen people of other religions go to a Church before under the circumstances of not wanting to look like an ass (they were tagging along) and paying their respects or sticking around for a service