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11 new of 185 responses total.
rcurl
response 175 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 18 20:37 UTC 2003

Why not if the school is mainly muslim? The same principles and laws apply.

I don't think kids are banned from congregating in a room for a prayer session
so long as it does not interfer with the class schedules which occupy the
school day. They should be able to congregate on their own time after school
hours.
other
response 176 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 18 20:40 UTC 2003

The logic behind banning a gathering of kids in a room for a prayer 
session is that if a school declines to ban such activity, then the 
school puts itself in the position of having to differentiate between a 
legitimate religious session and something that isn't, but makes itself 
appear to be.  The school faces serious potential legal liabilities for 
selectively barring groups from access that it offers to other groups, 
and at the same time, if the school declines to select, then it opens 
itself up to other liabilities should something untoward happen on school 
property under the guise of a religious meeting.

The banning of all such activity by individual institutions is not 
mandated by government, it is mandated by prudent practice in light of 
the current state of the legal system.

That's why they ban kids congregating in a room for a prayer session (in 
those places that do it).

(russ slipped in)
other
response 177 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 18 20:40 UTC 2003

err, rcurl, not russ.  Sorry!
rcurl
response 178 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 18 21:09 UTC 2003

I think the issue arises for Muslim students because their religion
prescribes prayer at fixed hours of the day, some of which would occur
during school hours. This came up in the New York school system in 2001,
when they concluded that students could pray so long as they did not
disturb classes nor require a special room for the purpose. This is
discussed at http://www.religioustolerance.org/ps_praf.htm

Public schools function in the US under the US Constitution, which
supercedes an infinity of possible particular individual preferences,
wishes, and practices. Just as the schools can ban smoking, they can ban
religious exercises that disturb classes or require special accomodations,
so long as all students are treated equally in this respect. 

Ultimately, of course, some individuals may not want to follow US law
in these regards and have chosen to have their own schools. This has been
true since the nation was founded, and is accomodated by all public school
systems with respect of educational requirements.
mynxcat
response 179 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 18 21:15 UTC 2003

When I was in Kuwait, I went to an Indian school. However, the majority of
the class was Muslim. They never took time off to pray at the prescribed time.
The only thing they did different from the rest of us was go to Religion
Studies class, instead of attend our "Moral Science" class. (Their class
focussed on Islam and the Quran, the Morla Science class focussed on ethics
and honest living)

I don't think that working people also prayed 5 times a day. The only place
I noticed that the 5 time a day rule applied was on TV. They would interrupt
the broadcast to put the prayer on. 

I guess the prayer 5 times a day seems to be more theoretical than practical.
You would see people praying sometimes (like the shopkeepers in a back-room),
but it wasn't that evident.

(I don't know how the school would have handled it if the students did want
to pray. I never heard of such a case. For all I know, these students could
have been praying silently all those years :P )
tod
response 180 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 18 21:32 UTC 2003

This response has been erased.

oval
response 181 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 19 14:42 UTC 2003

i don't get angry at satan either.

tod
response 182 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 19 19:06 UTC 2003

This response has been erased.

happyboy
response 183 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 19 19:20 UTC 2003

1. thou shall not fart in here
   nor light them with a match
   elsewhere, it's bogus.
tod
response 184 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 19 19:30 UTC 2003

This response has been erased.

rcurl
response 185 of 185: Mark Unseen   Sep 19 22:01 UTC 2003

I wouldn't call the bible "literary art", but it is literature. Whereever it
is appropriate to have books it would not be inappropriate to have a copy of
a bible (or the koran, or the Rubaiyat....). 
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