To be angry that parents won't allow their children to go on school visit to local mosque?

[ptangyangkipperbang]

DS2 is going on a school trip to the local mosque. However, the school nearly cancelled it because so many parents have refused to let their children go. I have only spoken to one parent who won't allow her child to go but she said "I'm not racist but...why should they visit a mosque when we daren't get a plane or go to a shopping centre because of that lot". Not racist .

for us to learn

no time to read all, but yanbu, and I would be in your position.
wtf?

i would love my dd to visit a mosque temple, whatever, and as I am a v. nosy person and like learning about different faiths/cultures, I would force my self on the teacher as an assistant, so i could join in!

Hi Lulu

I will be putting my fot down if DS's schoo propose a visit to the Scientology HQ in Tottenham Ct Rd, i think.

There is only so much time a child needs to spend learning about religion....

This thread is the first I've heard of mosques with metal detectors, and I've been to a few in my lifetime.

Personally I don't think my children will suddenly convert to a religion because of a day trip to a specific place of worship, if they have trips to places of worship, I'll prolly do as I do with all trips and vounteer to help out...makes a nice day out ime.
I seriously cannot work up the emotion to get hysterical over a school trip to a mosque/synagogue/temple/ church... I quite like Roman catholic churches as it happens think they're rather beautiful pieces of architecture at least the gothic ones are.

the scientology churches go all out to convert tho dont they, which would disturb me, I dont think many schools would organise trips to their HQ's...

Er yes Scientology a bit OTT due to conversion thing LOL

(frriend doinga dissertation on them- woner if she'll go?)

The only churches I've seen with metal detectors are St Peter's Basilica in Rome, The Sistene Chapel, The Duomo in Milan, Westminter Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. Doesn't bother me since I don't carry offensive weaponry anyway. Surely you're safer if there is a metal detector there than not since it'll detect hotheads before they get too far?

I would be happy for my son to go to a mosque if he had the chance. However I would like to come too!

Islam is one of the major world faiths. Scientology is much more marginal. No comparison.

I would love my children to visit a mosque. They've been so a synagogue on a school visit. It staggers me the level of ignorance necessary to actually refuse to let your child partake in a school trip of this sort.

BUT I'm equally saddened when non Christian kids sit out of the shared experience of nativity plays and the like. I'm no Christian but my kids love the theatre and the sense of unity with their class mates.

I get a bit worried about people who support tolerance then slag off Scientologists.

Are people here really saying that the validity of a faith is a function of the number of people who believe it ?
Is it all right to be nasty to them because they don't do suicide bombing like some Moslems, or kidnap and torture random Moslems like some Evangelicals do in Guantanamo Bay ?
Do Scientologists put bombs on school buses like Christian terrorists have done in this country ?

I can't think of a single act of violence organised by Scientologists. I suppose there must be, and Blu & Co will no doubt tell me, but they are amateurs in comparison to the big faiths.
Nicole Kidman wasn't stoned to death for infidelity was she ?

They do try to convert people, but their methods aren't that different from some Christian sects who presumably they stole them from.
Some of their activities are nakedly commercial and look fraudulent. But look at Lourdes, Knock and the way that several religions charge money to "approve" foods, and to marry and bury people.
Ask yourself where did the money for all those big pretty churches come from ? Selling raffle tickets ?

I'm not defending Scientology's beliefs which to me look like they picked the wrong SciFi author to follow, but they are genuine beliefs.
It is a dangerous road to go along. If you say that only big vicious faiths get respect, then you will get big vicious faiths, and smaller nastier ones as well.

ptangyangkipperbang (luurving the name) - i would be steaming too, only read the OP but Oh my good god on earth!!! The ignorance of some people, with those sort of attitudes isnt it any wonder that there are some marginalised people wanting to blow our heads off!! I really really dispair for these racist bigots. I am a catholic and proud of my faith and part of our religeon is that we must ACCEPT and welcome other faiths. It saddens me deeply that muslims are being portrayed in such a bad way these days and racists are just using this to add fuel to the fire. Excuse my ranting ive been at the brandy!!!

It is only by learning about other cultures and religeons that we can live side by side and benifit from our mixed communities. I intend to send my DD to a catholic school, i do hope however that she will learn about other faiths too. My DD1 (17yrs) did not go to a catholic school (im a bit of a prodigal daughter as it were) and she did benifit from learning about other religeons. It does help that her best friends are muslims and i actually think she knows more about that than she does christianity and often used to come home and tell me little snippets. But her friends were not religeous fanatics, they were just normal everyday children, who like my DD probably thought religeon a bit stuffy and something that older people do .

Why cant we just bloody well stop acting like children in a play ground and share in what i happen to think is a great country, with much to offer and much to gain from other cultures.

having now read through some of the posts, im happy to see that the general trend is a positive one. Just goes to show how wonderful all us Mnetters really are - oh yes, you can tell ive been at the brandy!

Message withdrawn

Message withdrawn

In theory, I'd be happy for ds to visit a mosque on a school trip. In practice, I'd be wary, because the nearest ones to us are in a town where there are plenty of radical Islamists including people who have been convicted of terrorist offences. Of course almost all of the people in that town are fine, I expect, but there are definitely a few nutters.

DC, do calm down, dear.

My comment was a little tongue in cheek.

Amidst all this enthusiasm for visits to places of worship, i did wonder how many school days could be dedicated to it.

And no, I am not aware of acts of violence by scientologists (over-enthusiastic ambushings on the way to the Heals sale notwithstanding), and acts of vioplence by members of other belliefs haven't influenced my decision as to whether DS should visit a chapel, church, mosque, temple - or the house of Commons (whilst on thematter of acts of violence).

But I am not aware that scientology has yet added significantly to our architecture or cultural cannon (beyond gossip mags featuring Tom and Katie) - and that is one of the benefits of trips to churches etc (for better for worse).

And I am sure my personal happy tolerance for scientolgists to do whatever they do will be shared by DS in due course.

Ours have just about done them all by now - church, synagogue and last week that wonderful Hindu temple in Neasden and every child in that class (and they have probably almost equal proportions of jews, muslims, hindus, Christians and atheists if I had to hazard a guess or at least fair numbers of each has gone on all the trips). Are private school parents more tolerant and less bigoted may be?

Oh, defintiely, Xenia.

LOL
Yes I think they are Xenia

And WOHMs probably are as well.

I think you'll find that most suicide bombers' mothers have been SAHMs.

QED

OMG I'm finally agreeing with something you have said DominicConnor. I also worry about those preaching tolerance slagging off Scientologists.