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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: joseph krinsky who wrote (10547)	11/15/2001 9:16:20 AM
From: joseph krinsky	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27672

Something here doesn't seem right to me. If a Christian wants to pray in school they raise hell about it. NYC OK's Prayer in School -- for Muslims That anti-religion bastion of political correctness, the New York City public school system, has quietly sanctioned prayer in schools -- but only of you're a Muslim who wants to worship during Ramadan. In a talk radio exclusive, New York's WABC Radio has been airing reports on the school system's special program for Muslims for weeks. Late Wednesday, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy finally confirmed that the religious double standard indeed exists. "Christian parents would probably love to have a place where their children could pray during school hours," WABC newsman George Weber said Thursday. "They don't... But the Muslim kids are getting their very own prayer room in New York City public schools." "The New York City public school system is going to accommodate Muslim students allowing them space for prayer" during the five week Muslim holy season of Ramadan, reported Weber's partner, Babita Hariani. "In a statement, though, school's Chancellor Harold Levy adds the prayer 'cannot interfere with classes or infringe on other students'", she explained. That's not exactly what the Chancellor's office told the New York Post, which reported Thursday that Levy spokeswoman Margie Feinberg told them Muslim students will be allowed to cut classes in order to pray and then reschedule them later. Here's the link to the NY Post story, the above was taken from anther message site: nypost.com SCHOOLS OK RAMADAN PRAYERS By CARL CAMPANILE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 15, 2001 -- Muslim students will be permitted to pray in school during the holy period of Ramadan - with restrictions, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy's office said. The prayers can't disrupt classes or impinge on the rights of other students, said Levy spokeswoman Margie Feinberg. Ramadan, which begins at sundown tomorrow, lasts five weeks. The faithful must pray at noon, as well as later in the day, preferably in a group. They also fast. "Students want to pray for the religious holiday. We want to accommodate them," Feinberg said, adding that students can ask to have their schedules altered to avoid missing classes. Feinberg stressed that while school officials can set aside an area for Muslim students to pray, other students cannot be barred from the same area. The U.S. Supreme Court prohibits officially sponsored prayer in public schools. School superintendents have contacted the Board of Education's legal department on how to proceed, particularly in light of the World Trade Center disaster and concerns about discrimination against Muslim students.

To: joseph krinsky who wrote (10547)	11/15/2001 10:07:37 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27672

I read the interview in the Washington Post which Fonte refers to - the fact that the Muslim woman law student "opposes America's war efforts against the Taliban" is also not a bad thing, although I disagree with her. If you start questioning whether United States citizens are sufficiently American, you're on a very slippery slope. You may feel comfortable there, but I don't. My only requirement is that people not break laws. It's not against the law to oppose US foreign policy. There have always been people in this country who did not think that recent immigrants were the right sort - I've mentioned my Cajun grandfather - my other grandfather was from Yugoslavia but everyone called him a Hunkie, a derogatory term for Eastern Europeans. The Anglo-Saxons looked down on the Irish, the Irish looked down on the Eastern Europeans, and everyone looked down on the blacks. Now everyone, including the blacks, look down on the Middle Easterners. We need to be tolerant. That's one of America's greatest strengths. In other countries, ethnic minorities and ethnic majorities are at each other's throats. We don't need that here. My husband's grandmother never learned to speak English, despite the fact that she lived in the US for decades - she was from Germany. That's part of the American story, too. I've got relatives in Pennsylvania Dutch country who can speak English, but prefer to speak German, after nine generations in America. That, too, is part of the American story. The first generation of my Cajun ancestors fought in the American Revolution, and so did the first generation of the Pennsylvania Dutch, BTW. I am American. But feeling threatened by immigrants is also part of the American story. I recognize that. It's just interesting to see all these old themes continue to play out. We learn from history but are still doomed to repeat it.