Muslim prayers

[Amibeingtoosensitive]

My DD (9) had R.E today
They were learning about Muslim prayers. All fine.
They then went on to get prayer mats and say a Muslim prayer, with their shoes off, on their knees as a group.

AIBU to feel uncomfortable about my DD being made to do a religious practice we do not believe in.

Well said Tonka4.

I am against anyone being made to pray in any way whatsoever--or pretend to pray, for that matter. But to make this fair, we need to stop the fake Christian prayers in schools too, as humanists and secularists have urged for years.

What is your school's policy on Xian prayers? If they don't do any worship at all in assemblies and whatnot, you may have a case for complaining here.

They then went on to get prayer mats and say a Muslim prayer, with their shoes off, on their knees as a group.

So as part of an RE class, what do you think the purpose of the above would be? The kids have already had a talk about Muslim prayers, now they are trying something that might be very different to what they have experienced before. How does sitting this way feel? Why do you think Muslims choose to sit this way? Which way do they face their mats? The prayer mat - the creation of a special, small space just for worship - needs to be experienced rather than just talked about, IMO. It isn't going to convert kids - just widen their minds.

I guess a positive aspect of this is the children get to see whether praying works.
If not, they can explore why that might be.

i am "more spiritual than religious". Anon you asked if that meant I believed in religion...just not organised religion

Belief in religion for me means that I acknowledge religion has a meaning for millions of people.

Spirituality is different...humans are spiritual beings like it or not. That means more than religion which is organised or otherwise. Where does it come from? It's inate in me as it is in others.

I can attend Pagan events and a massively long Catholic Mass and enjoy both for the collective celebration. It's a nice feeling and I indulge it when these events come along. Incidentally I get the same nice happy feeling when I spend an evening with friends...it's a spiritual feeling for me.

When my DS did this at school, they then had to design a prayer mat encorporating things that were special / holy to them in the design. His featured a Nintendo.

I would let the school know your views. A video of Moslems at prayer would be appropriate, as would one of a Catholic Mass to show holy communion.

Jazzy you do realise that these men people worship are all fictional, right?

Do you think that makes it better?

OP

Do check what happened. I only say this because a friend's son came home from school saying he had drunk some wine on a visit to a church.

What had actually happened was at the visit to the local Methodist church, a Methodist teacher had received communion (sorry if that is the wrong term for Methodists) which was non alcoholic wine.

The children had some Ribena before going back to school and things got a bit muddled with some of them saying it was wine.

It may have been as your dd says, but it also could have been someone showing a prayer mat and children asking how to kneel/pray.

@bertrandrussell was that challenge for me?

Nope, not you. For the OP.

The whole year 4 class getting out prayer mats and praying Muslim prayers. There wouldn't be room. For a start.

Agreed. this feels like the Britain First meme that did the rounds last year.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/britain-first-post-heartbreaking-picture-of-children-seemingly-doing-yoga-which-supporters-mistake-as-muslim-pray_uk_56f6a19fe4b0787ff7c9520e

I don't let my kids pray in any religious context, so YANBU.

Thankfully the school doesn't do Christian worship either (they hav assembly and talk about something nice, but they don't clasp hands and talk to God.)

I think it's all dangerous bollocks and am an equal-opportunities religion disliker.

Pictures or it didn't happen

Fake praying is offensive whatever the religion. I have no issue in learning about aspects of other belief systems but this seems disrespectful to me.

If there is no god answering, then all praying is fake, no?

Look.

A classroom of 25 9 year olds.

Assuming you have 25 prayer mats, where are you going to put them down? Have you moved all the tables and chairs first? Where to?

It didn't happen. And nobody's banned Christmas, the Union Jack, wearing England shirts or selling poppies.

Bertrand

We used to do yoga in primary school. Just put the desks in the back. And we were definitely more than 25...

Don't get me started on the Catholic Church and it's treatment of women and children
But compared to muslims treatment of women?
Not in the same league.

But compared to muslims treatment of women?
Not in the same league.

Kind of depends on how far back in history you want to go, doesn't it?

Or which countries you are comparing. They're finding a lot of bodies at Irish 'mother and baby' homes right now.

Stop troll hunting me.

It happened, I'm unsure why some people are having trouble grasping this.

The email apologising for any offence caused I recieved from the teacher this morning backs up the fact that it happened and not that DD and the rest of the class someone got the wrong end of the stick.

Somehow not someone

The email apologising for any offence caused I recieved from the teacher this morning backs up the fact that it happened and not that DD and the rest of the class someone got the wrong end of the stick.

Right. And what are you going to do with this, OP?

(Genuinely interested. I have no idea. I guess I'd just pray to every possibly existing God or Goddess that DD would never tell certain family members....)