Update Wednesday, July 27th, 2011: There is a completely misleading article at the National Post’s “Full Comment” by Amira Elghawaby (H/T Catherine) He or she simply did not do their homework regarding Eden High School. This arrangement was made twenty-five years ago and is unique in Ontario. I have left a comment at the Post explaining why the information presented is wrong. Here, for example is the daily timetable where it is clearly stated that Chapel and the Grade 9 Bible Study course is from 8:25am until 8:50am with the regular school day starting at 9am like most other public high schools.
Original article starts here: Is the fact that Muslim prayers are happening in a Ontario publicly funded school (Valley Park Middle School in the Toronto District School Board) each and every Friday afternoon, an example of faith-based funding?
Well, the argument against Eden High School in St. Catharines has always been that Eden is essentially a publicly funded faith-based high school. Why? Because it provides a Christian oriented chapel service BEFORE the school day starts.
Yet, Valley Park is allowed to provide a Muslim prayer service right after lunch in the middle of a school day and we hear very little about it by the politicians and the media.
The bottom line is this: How can the McGuinty Liberal government defend Muslim faith-based prayer programs that are happening during the main part of a school day, when Eden can only provide a similar program before the school day starts?
Well, in my opinion, the McGuinty can’t defend the decision. Meaning, that faith-based funding has come to Dalton McGuinty Ontario schools by the back door — and only for those who follow Islam!
For the full extent of the inequality and the media’s reticence to condemn the Muslim prayer program, read this column by Moira MacDonald, which was published in the Toronto Sun on July 5th, 2011.
Interestingly, prayer, or at least of the Judeo-Christian variety, was thrown out of Ontario’s public schools decades ago. So, why the favouritism now? And, make no mistake about it, it is favouritism and the politically correct fear of offending.
I mean, the school principal, Nickolas Stefanoff, says the Friday afternoon prayer program is a great idea because it keeps kids in school longer and out of trouble. Plus, one of the school’s prayer program volunteers, Ali Baig, thinks it is a good idea because: “Religious practice builds kids’ character and makes them better contributors to society.”
Whoa! Hold on there! The issue isn’t that religion in public schools is a good idea. Some of us know it is! In fact, we have an entirely separate “Catholic” system that confirms that notion. No, in this incident, it’s about an appearance of”inclusiveness” and “equality” that are neither.
I mean, remember the fight four years ago during the 2007 Ontario election campaign, when the Ontario Progressive Conservative leader at that time, John Tory, was running on a platform that included faith-based funding for public schools. You’d have thought the sky was falling.
The crux of the matter is, then, during this current Ontario election campaign, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and PC leader Tim Hudak, need to ask that Dalton McGuinty defend what is going on. Remember, in the summer and fall of 2007, it was the McGuinty crowd who were hysterical over the faith-based funding policy being “divisive.”
Or, is it only divisive when it involves Christian Protestants, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus?
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Is it me or is there a bigger but unspoken issue here? If I were to place myself in the shoes of an average school principal or school board administrator, I would take a look at how detractors, or rather “deemed” detractors of Islam are treated both by Islam in general but also by the elephant in the room, namely the self loathing liberal apologists that have permeated our hallowed halls in the past decade or two. It is easy, in fact to a degree rewarded, to enforce policy towards religion in public schools if that enforcement is directed to what liberals regard as the root of all evil, Christianity. And so, as water seeks it’s own level, liberals congregate in the educational system and support one another. The problem is that Islam is not so meek as our Judeo-Christian neighbours.
No, if I were the above mentioned average joe in the school system I would fear Islam and comply with whatever demands are put on me. I would also have cause to fear my bosses as they are a defacto arm of Islam. This would leave me no choice but to defend a position that is optically rediculous and fundamentally insulting.
The problem is not Islam, it’s just doing what it has done for centuries, making people submit, by force if necissary. The real problem is the public officials that have no moral standards and seek only to appease for personal gain. I don’t think this is a stand against any particular religion, just an obvious need to show an equal contempt for all religions in public schools. Change the folks in charge at all levels, start with McGuinty.
Peter: “Change the folks in charge at all levels, start with McGuinty.” I couldn’t agree more.
I began teaching at the Grade 6 level in the public system in September 1972. Once a week we had a “religious education” class. Sometimes we would read from the Old Testament, sometimes the New. But, always we discussed values, right and wrong and doing unto others as we would want done to us. In other words, no specific religion or denomination was mentioned but the underlying messages were Judeo/Christian. We also started each day with the Lord’s Prayer — from the office on the loudspeaker and we stood to sing O Canada.
Later in the early 1980′s, we varied the opening prayer to include all religions. Then, I went on leave to attend grad school, later supervising pre-service students. Somewhere during that period when I became a teacher educator, it all changed. From what I remember, even O Canada was dropped.
Hopefully, Hudak and the PCs will win on October 6th and we can once again have the balance we need. Kids need direction. They need to know that the world does not owe them any entitlements.
I live in hope!
Which reminds me that I want to write again about progressive/liberal versus conservative values. I have a feeling that the main differences are more about, not only “our rights and entitlements” but “our responsibilities” as well and — in a school context — that it is okay to be self-reliant and strive for excellence.
Doug — I too doubt the Ontario NDP are going to open the “one system” can of worms. In fact, the silence over this Muslim prayer issue, by all three party leaders, is telling.
The SOS March in Washington tomorrow should be interesting.
It’s very interesting that Friday prayers went on for a number of years before it became an issue. It also may be a bigger issue because it is being discussed during the usual slow summer news period. After Labour Day, people will probably move on to the election where all the parties will try to forget the summer debate.