UK's strictest Headmistress taken to school over banning prayers in the playground

[cakeorwine]

Top London school taken to high court over prayer ban | London | The Guardian

I don't believe that schools should have a compulsory act of worship.
However - it seems that there has been a ban on prayer rituals on the premises.

"The prayer policy was introduced in March last year by the school’s founder, Katharine Birbalsingh – frequently described as Britain’s strictest headteacher – when the school found itself the target of abuse and harassment after pupils were seen praying in the school playground by passersby. About 30 students took part, some kneeling on their blazers as they were not permitted to bring in prayer mats, the court heard.
Before these events, the court heard that prayers were not expressly banned at Michaela, though it had no dedicated prayer room. The new policy had the “practical effect of only preventing Muslims from praying because their prayer by nature has a ritualised nature rather than being internal”, the court heard.
The pupil’s lawyer said it was in effect “a ban uniquely on Muslim prayer”, stopping pupils praying “at a time as required by Islam”. In contrast, it would not, she said, prevent a Christian child sitting quietly in the corner of the playground from praying"

I think it seems that prayer mats were banned - and I think it seems they were banned from kneeling on blazers.

If someone wants to pray in the playground voluntarily, then they should be able to. It's not an act of compulsory worship.

I can see why they wanted this kept quiet.

Janice Turner has an opinion piece on this in today's Times. She's not know for her unreasonableness in her pieces and it's well worth reading.

The more I read on this situation the more I'm inclined to believe that this has little to do with freedom of religion or student well being and more to do with parents undermining a school and its community.

@Longma
It's is totally irrelevant what "almost every school does". That school has chosen not to provide space for religious worship and there is no law mandating that they have to. Parents who send their children to that school should have made themselves aware of this and taken it into consideration when making their school choice.

This is a totally straw man argument by the pupil and a misuse of the Courts (and legal aid). Shame on the parents for this.

I'm sure someone upthread said that the students could sit and pray quietly if there was no option to kneel on a prayer mat

Why can a classroom not be provided for this purpose and it should be for all faiths to have this facility

I think the issue here not with the prayers as such but with several other problems:

1. It seems like one pupil started praying quite publicly, brining prayer mat and kneeling in the playground, and then other Muslim kids were forced to pray by being told they are "bad Muslims" if they don't pray with this girl - in my view, this is bullying and indoctrination.
2. The prayer became a ritualised, very public thing more to do with process than with religion, with kids being dramatic and theatrical (kneeling on blazers in full view of the school and surrounding streets) and this created disruption and anti-Islamic abuse from passers by.

My PERSONAL view is that all school should be secular, religion should have no place in the place science should rule, but this probably is not going happen in the UK. The solution would be to have a prayer room and to make praying a routine thing - I bet you a lot of kids would not do it if the element of "rebellion" and peer pressure is removed.

Also, I would like to add that prayer does not signify a good Muslim (or Christian, or any other religion). I know a LOT of people who are demonstratively religious but do not follow any of the positive teachings of their chosen faith. And the opposite is also true.

There's a lot more to this story than the Guardian report.

"According to The Mail on Sunday, court documents reveal that a group of around 30 pupils intimidated other pupils who would not fast during Ramadan, pressured a girl into wearing a hijab, and coerced another girl into leaving the school choir by telling her it was forbidden in Islam.
The pupils also started holding prayer rituals in the playground, and put pressure on pupils who chose not pray.
The school said the prayer rituals created an "intimidatory and aggressive atmosphere" and "resulted in a division in the playground between the Muslim and the non-Muslim children which had never happened before".
Birbalsingh said the school's governing body decided to ban the prayer rituals after weighing up all other options because they had become a "catalyst for abuse and threats".
Email threatens: "you will be dealt with like the filthy dog that you are"
In March, TTT was suspended for two days after displaying "extreme rudeness" towards a teacher who objected to her bringing a prayer mat to the playground.
The suspension prompted "the most appalling abuse and threats" to teachers, including threatening phone calls and emails.
One email said: "If you carry on disrespecting our Muslim children you will be dealt with like the filthy dog that you are."
Another warned: "'We have planted several bombs in the building, many of which are hidden in toilets, hall rooms and classes on all floors. These are the consequences of your actions."
Individual staff members were also attacked. One teacher's home had a brick thrown through the window. A break-in was also attempted at a teacher's home. A black teacher was subjected to racist abuse, and other teachers received death threats.
Bottles were also thrown into the playground from the street."

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2024/01/lives-endangered-at-school-which-restricts-prayer-rituals

Yes it's the showiness of the situation

Prayer should be quiet and discrete

The Mail on Sunday article tells a completely different story, but makes it sound like any school accepting Muslim students is at risk of such threatening and criminal behaviour. Or is all this solved by not providing a prayer room?

It does sound like the behaviour at the school is not as reported by the Head.

A prayer room does sound like a solution. Less public.

I wonder if other schools who have Muslim children who pray have an issue with other Muslim children being forced to pray.

I'm no conservative but I agreed with what she has done; and I hope she wins.

What does winning look like?

@cakeorwine - it means that the headteacher of a school can set their own policy on worship; which to me looks like what the law allows.

No doubt she can change it if she wants, but I don't agree with the idea that a school can be pressured by people to change what it does by making threats. Changes to a school and its policies should be for the head, within the law.

If she wins I suppose the activists will not accept the decision. Its a no win situation .

Also you can't fault the choice of lawyer; Jason Coppel, knows his stuff.

I thought Islam was a religion of peace

The bullying and intimidation is shocking

Will that mean that if a Christian child is allowed to pray but a Muslim child is not allowed to pray, then that's ok?

You do understand that the actions of some is not the actions of all.
Christianity is supposed to a tolerant religion.

But some Christians aren't.

That argument is not a good one imo; because I think the case will fail since it's a school, and that's the dominant purpose. They don't I think have to facilitate an act of prayer for anyone, and so I don't buy "discrimination".

KB can change her policy if she likes; but I think legally she is within her rights to not make separate provision.

Such a shame money is being wasted on court cases when it could be spent on facilities and equipment for the children.

I went to visit this school a few months ago - great quality of teaching but let down by facilities and equipment. It's a very very basic classroom setup and not much more.

So a head teacher could compel all pupils to perform ritual prayer or attend daily Mass?

@cakeorwine

Yes of course but this sort of behaviour seems to be on the rise

It's nothing to do with Christianity and where recently in the UK have Christians behaved in this dictatorial fashion in schools

Well - Christians do seem to have a hold on collective worship in school so they don't need to intimidate. It's the law.

Is collective worship in a Christian stance actually happening in schools these days though?

Do you think the behaviour from the parents and their children ok?

Why are they shaming and coercing other kids to pray?

Collective worship of a mainly Christian nature is the law. Whether it's happening is different.

I haven't seen the behaviour and I don't know who is intimidating or the nature of the intimidation. Nor do I know what the children are doing to each other.

No one should threaten other children or intimidate other people.
No one should force children to pray.

People should be allowed to carry out aspects of their religion if it does not impact on the school.

A prayer room would solve that.

The excuses seem to be that they can't get a room. And pupils can't walk to rooms by themselves.

Yes I agree about the prayer room or even a quiet classroom for all faiths

@TooBigForMyBoots - no. There is no counter requirement to compel people to a daily act of worship whether they are religious or not. I can still have freedom of expression or religious belief, it's just that a school does not necessarily have to facilitate that in the context of providing education.