Fund-raisers that won't offend Muslim families

[MrsLadywoman]

My kids go to a secular state primary school in a multi-cultural area where just over 50 per cent of the children are from Muslim backgrounds. We are about to have a PSA meeting about fund-raising events and there have already been a few raised voices over certain suggestions, for example a roller disco (no music should be played), a barbecue (no pork, no wine) and a bingo night (no gambling). Could anyone offer any suggestions that won't offend?

[purplewerepidj]

Wow, tough crowd!

Bring and buy/white elephant stall? Cake sale? Fun run? Sponsored silence?

[catsareevil]

Are there any muslim parents on the PSA? Could they suggest things that would be generally accepted?

[picnicbasketcase]

I didn't know Muslims were opposed to music

[MrsLadywoman]

Actually, we have done cake sale (although problems there with banned ingredients) and bring and buy sale. Fun run would be great but we are trying to suggest stuff that can be done on school premises after school, so people find it easy to come along when picking up kids, rather than going to off site when, in our experience, very few people make it along!

[strandednomore]

I guess a Christmas fair is out then
Cake sales must be ok? The thing where you get children to draw themselves and get it printed onto tea towels?

[MrsLadywoman]

Yes, there are Muslim families on PSA. Just covering myself and don't want to say something stupid!

Picnic: I think the music thing was because it was on a Saturday? Or during prayers? I'm not sure!

[ButHeNeverDid]

You know that it is possible to have a BBQ with no Pork or Wine!

[picnicbasketcase]

I just looked it up - I've never heard that before, really interesting actually.

[purplewerepidj]

Sponsored fun sports, then - set up activities in the playground, charge 10p or something per person per activity. Have it ready to go at hometime.

[Kendodd]

Do you have Muslims on the PTA that have said they are offended by these things or are you just ruling them out because you think some might be offended?

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

I think you're over-thinking. Have muslim parents raised concerns over these things?

The barbeque is fine - do beef, lamb and chicken, offer vegetarian alternatives and offer soft drinks as well as wine. If we do anything food related we ask the muslim parents to come along and share their traditional receipes and they go down a storm. None of the muslim parents I know are offended by others drinking alcohol as long as a soft drink is available.

We have school disco, most of the muslim children attend.

[WhoIsThatMaskedWoman]

Cards/tea towels etc with pictures drawn by the children. Lots of companies will do it for you and give you a slice of the proceeds. You can do it before Christmas (if you get a move on) and those who celebrate can give them as Christmas gifts/cards while the Muslims save them for granny's birthday.

[EdithWeston]

Quiz night?

Bottle tombola (non-alcoholic, toiletries, ketchup?) Raffle? Auction of promises?

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

A halal barbecue would be fine. Put some of the Muslim parents in charge of sourcing the meat so its their responsibility to ensure it is acceptable. You can still have lamb, beef, chicken and fish. If you had the barbecue just after school with kids welcome, then it would be easy to make it alcohol free.

Who said no music for the roller disco? Not all Muslims object to music especially judging by the number of interesting musical ensembles on arabic tv.

(DH is Muslim as are our kids, I am Christian)

Coffee mornings?

If the school has a uniform could you do a non-uniform day with a small fee attached.

Quiz nights?

[Kendodd]

Also I do think that (within reason) it's ok for some people to not like what you're doing.

[MrsLadywoman]

ButHe: Yes, of course, I know that but you see what happends at the meetings is that people get a bit heated on the one side about people being insensitive to their religion and on the other side about having to make accommodations to a religion when they are at a secular school. I don't really want to get into the rights and wrongs, I'm just trying to find some suggestions that are not going to set off the objections!

[nailak]

how about a bouncy castle, face painting and baloon animal making, cant go wrong, get one of them bouncy slides as well

or a food from your culture sale,

a school play,

fun run around the block a few times,

fancy dress/ non uniform day

why cant you have bbq without wine/pork

desert stall

teddy bears picnic,

do all these parents take kids out of music lessons/ singing? im guessing only a handful do, so you could do roller disco? school concert?

[ButHeNeverDid]

But really ...[big daily mail sigh] ...... I am Jewish and have managed to attend C of E leaning schools without ever getting offended. You just dont do the things you dont want to do. Simple.

And remember that not all the Muslim families will have the same attitudes ... they will all draw their religious / cultural lines in different places. So I would guess that most will not eat pork or drink alcohol - but a fair few would be happy to attend a roller disco.

Just organise stuff and those who want to attend can ..... and those who dont - wont.

[nailak]

i agree with he tbh,

[inmysparetime]

Possible objection to the teatowel idea would be that Islam forbids art containing images of living things (that's why Islamic art is so geometric), kids would not be allowed to draw images of themselves under that rule.
How about a book sale? Parents donate books they no longer need, and kids can buy new books. It might give the kids access to a wider range of dual language books, which are usually hard to come by.

[MrsLadywoman]

Sorry all, probably haven't explained myself too well. We did have roller disco/bingo night/wine at BBQ etc, and this is what caused big rows afterwards so now whenever something is suggested there is shouting and bad feeling. So this is why I am trying to come up with stuff that will just not cause any arguments!

Anyway, yes - quiz night sounds good, and Halal bbq too. I think tea towels are already on the list as are dress-up days.

[WhoIsThatMaskedWoman]

Raffles and tombolas are gambling, so probably best avoided (although our very mixed school is fine with them (mind you they also had pigs in the Nativity stable so they're not that careful about those things)).
Interesting point about representational art. I'm curious now, can any nursery / reception teacher say whether this is actually a contemporary issue, because surely reception age children draw all the time?.

[MrsLadywoman]

By the way, we did of course offer veggie and chicken at the bbq, as well as Halal burgers. But the problem was having sausages and wine there at all. And with the roller disco we had to have a 2-hour block where there was no music.

Is this not a common problem then at other schools where Muslim children attend?

[Kardashianw]

Can't believe how strict they are being. Don't think they are considering the other 50% of the population. I wouldn't dis regard any of the suggestions an I am Muslim. I have Been to school discos and gone were pork was sold I wasn't offended just made sure my kids were briefed at not to eat it!!!

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

I would be tempted to put the onus on some of the parents objecting to come up with the alternatives too. Its not ok for them to just complain they have to make a positive contribution.

If I suggested doing something with the kids that DH objected to on religious grounds I would expect him to offer a reasonable alternative instead.