To think a full day trip to a mosque for 6 year old school trip is a bit much?

[Jint]

I'm all for comparative religious education, learning what other religions believe and what they're about, but my daughter is in year 2 and, with her (non denominational) school, has probably been in the Anglican church for maybe 2 hours (1 hour each year for a carol service), never been to a Synagogue or any other place of worship, but is spending a whole day in a mosque. School trip that we have to pay for, and the girls are 'welcome' to wear headscarves, but not compulsory. This is not in any way an issue with the religion, but not sure why it's such a big investment in one religion. There are 3 muslim pupils in the 60 in her year.

See your mistake op! If you had said cathedral you would have been fine.

It's boring isn't it when posters just don't want to read the actual posts but keep wanting up make their own agenda.

Mention a mosque and you are racist. Oh dear me.

I do agree Saltedcaramel2014 and don't have an issue with her learning about Islam in any way. And perhaps I could have rephrased my question but honestly thought I was being clear that the actual religion was not the issue. Lesson learned. I won't be initiating posts again.

It's significant, I think, thebody, that there has never been a thread on here (as far as I know) with someone showing their discontent or discomfort at a daytrip to a cathedral. These trips do take place.

Sorry if you feel put off listing again. I think your post raised some interesting points...

Posting not listing...

Really suprised by posters saying they wish they had visited other religious buildings as a child.

I was at school in the 70s and we visited a mosque, temple, synagogue and a cathedral. Yes have been bored whitless in most religious places. Maybe that's why I find religions so tedious and religious requirements laughable. .

There is a very good chance that they'll be doing other religions in the years that follow. My Y5 DS has so far had trips to a mosque, a gurdwara, a synagogue and a Buddhist temple -- but only one each year.

You could ask them nicely in your best non-scary voice what the plans are for RE trips in the next few years?

Buckskinnedastronaut, think I will ask at parent teacher meeting.

Re the headscarf being optional, I would ask DD what she wanted to do, at that age I suspect she would have gone with whatever her friends were doing!

I've covered my head as an adult in various places around the world, in both Muslim and Christian buildings, for me it is just respect, like pp have said, akin to removing shoes.

DS went to a synagogue last year and the boys were offered a selection of headwear, baseball caps, beanies and yarmulke. He opted for the yarmulke, partly because he's never worn one, partly because he felt it showed more respect. He is 16 and has very strong views about organised religion of any sort - he gets quite heated about it, but he does respect other peoples views. He was an usher at our wedding this year and didn't sing hymns or make responses but he did have a very lively chat with the vicar afterwards:)

"
I was at school in the 70s and we visited a mosque, temple, synagogue and a cathedral. Yes have been bored whitless in most religious places. Maybe that's why I find religions so tedious and religious requirements laughable. . "

I think its unreasonable expectation to expect that school trips or education are always exciting. The aim of visiting a mosque is to help children understand other people's beliefs rather than necessarily to entertain.

"This is not in any way an issue with the religion, but not sure why it's such a big investment in one religion. There are 3 muslim pupils in the 60 in her year."

All the more reason to have a big emphasis on Islam. If a child is growing up in a mono cultural enviroment then more effort is needed to teach them about other cultures.

My daugher has about ten muslim children in her class and two practicing christians. Her teacher is a muslim as well so dd isn't likely to grow up thinking that all muslims are mad jihadists wanting to behead all christians.

Quick name change here, as I've realised I have kids at the same school as Jint....

Mine are older, so I can answer the query re. other RE teaching; mine have indeed covered Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism in school over the last few years. This is the first time the Y2s have been to the Mosque that I'm aware of, and realistically they will only be there about 3 hours; they aren't leaving until 10.20 so won't get there till 11ish then will be gone again by 2ish, having had lunch there, so it's not as if they have 7 hours to fill there! The only cost involved is a small contribution to the coach.

I know there has been some unrest amongst the Y2 parents about it, and not everyone is going. I don't know their reasons why, as my children are not in y2, but it seems a shame; I would imagine very few children at our very undiverse school would get the opportunity to tour a mosque otherwise.

ReallyTired

No totally disagree. Education for children should be both informative sge appropriate and interesting if it's not they simply switch off and learn absolutely nothing.

Still teachers are a hell of a lot better now at that from when I was at school.

I am in awe of the fantastic things my high school kids get to do. So lucky now.

salted I said we went to cathedral (at secondary) -I gave it a 3-4 out of 10 , our someone's front room mosque (converted house) visit got a 2...no way was that mosque a full day but the cathedral was.
Cathedral was bigger, had a lot more to see and do - and a lot more history. Something other than religion to talk about.

Someone up thread said the first mosques in this country were built in the 1800s - so have history - first purpose built one was actually in 1889 so 125 yrs old, a similar time to the first mosque in the UK (converted big terraced house) - the majority have been built since the 1960s - most school trips will be visiting one of those.
Some cathedrals have bits that are over 1000 yrs old - almost pre-date Mohammad/Islam. Plus have tie-ins with the history of this country - tombs, catholics vs protestants, Oliver Cromwell etc .
I'm sure similar could said of lots of Mosques in some parts of the world - eg the one built on top of Luxor temple - fascinating that it was chosen as a religious site, even though most of the Egyptian temple was covered. The difference in height after excavation, Nile flood lines (geography) etc - a whole wealth of stuff you could talk about as well as the Mosque and Islam itself...now that could take a day...

"a few of you need to branch out a bit and learn new things. Did you know that the first mosque in the UK was built in the 1800's?"

Yes I did. 1889 in Woking- and it looks pretty funky. No disrespect intended at all the the Muslim population of Woking.

But you cannot begin to pretend a building that's a little over 100 years old will have the same wealth of history as seeing the tombs of the monarchs at Westminster Abbey or the place where Thomas A Becket was murdered at Canterbury Cathedral. I've lived in houses older than the mosque at Woking.

I like history- as do my kids. Looking at a thousand year old religious building? Fascinating- regardless of what God or religion. Looking at summat that was built in the 60s? Not so interesting.

my children arnt growing up thinking all Muslims are mad jihadists who want to behead christians

Er does anyone who is a normal human being. What a ridiculous statement.

There are surely extremists of all religions.

x-post? Great minds and all that Saucy ?

I don't think children go to visit a mosque in the UK to admire the architecture of the mosque. Going to a mosque is a great opportunity to meet muslims and ask questions. Meeting real life muslims is great way of combating racism and religious predujice.

I am sure it is possible to fill 3 hours with lots of really fun activites related to Islam. I am sure that Iman does not want a load of bored non muslim kids in his mosque playing up. He will want to engage them as outreach work is part of his job.

My son really enjoyed visiting the mosque in year 2.

Salted

There's usually more to see at a cathedral than a mosque or indeed a normal church.

Surely that's just commen sense.

Still would think even Westminster abbey would hold younger children for just over an hour really.

And how utterly disgusting that a first time poster is accused of racism after posing a simple question. Mumsnet at it's worst.

Op your posts are not racist at all. I understand that you think it might be a bit of a long day for a 6 year old and I agree.
As an aside if your question was concern over your child attending a cathedral , would anyone shout 'racism' then? I think not. Anyway Islam is a religion not a race.

We are the Borg!

Thebodynowchillingsothere
Why are there so many people objecting to their children visiting a mosque?
What are they afraid of? Do they honestly think that one school outing is going to make their children convert to Islam? I feel that Islamaphobia is an issue that needs to be tackled.

Lots of school days get wasted one way or another and parents aren't that bothered.

Not sure you are correct there ReallyTired

I went to a school in inner city Birmingham in the 80s with many religions attending and races and the divisions and racism from all sides to each other was horrific.

Going to chat to a few Muslims doesn't really combat racism or prejudice.

It's a bit more complicated than that.

Honestly, most religious buildings are boring as hell after the first ten minutes, when you're all 'what's that? Why is that here?'

At my synagogue, I've sometimes volunteered and helped organise school visits. For two hours, fine, or just an hour, as there really isn't much they can learn without going into depth and teaching them a detailed history. I'm sure it's the same with mosques, I've only been in some very impressive ones on holiday, and tbh the one my cousins go to looks fairly plain (but then our synagogue is concretey and grey) but I'm sure it would be very interesting or the DC to learn first hand and visit for a few hours, but not a full day. A boring ordinary church, a boring ordinary mosque, boring ordinary shul etc are all, well, boring after quite a short period of time.

I have no idea why certain parents refuse their children to go to a mosque? Are they? Who says so?

One poster who thinks she knows the ops school has posted that parents are objecting but that's hardly evidence is it?

The op isn't objecting to the trip bring up a mosque she was objecting to it's being an all day trip and that's too long. I agree with her.

You persist in trying to make this a racist/xenophobic issue. Why?