Muslim girl suspended for head scarf

If she has a brother is the school required to allow him to stop and pray five times a day whilst facing Mecca? No, he's not required to do so and neither can the school be impelled to allow it.

1. THE CLINTON DIRECTIVE

U.S. President Bill Clinton instructed Education Secretary Richard Riley to provide every school district in the United States with a statement of principles in 1995.

This statement discusses how far religious expression and activity are allowed in public schools.

Some of the important aspects of this statement of concern and interest to Muslim students and their parents are:

a. STUDENT PRAYER
Students can take part in individual and group prayer during the school day. They can also pray in a "nondisruptive manner" when they are not participating in school activities or are being taught.

b. RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION
In "informal" settings like cafeterias and hallways, they can pray and discuss their religious views. They can even persuade peers about religious topics like they would political topics. But school officials should step in to stop any speech that is considered harassment aimed at a student or a group of students.

c. RULES FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS
School administrators and teachers, when acting in those capacities, are not allowed soliciting or encouraging religious activity and are prohibited from participating in this kind of activity with students.

They are also not allowed to discourage an activity because it is religious, nor can they solicit or encourage anti-religious activity.

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g. RELIGIOUS EXCUSALS
While this is subject to state laws that apply, schools can excuse individual students from lessons which are objectionable to the student or their parents on religious grounds. However, school officials cannot encourage or discourage students of taking advantage of this option.

h. RELIGIOUS DRESS
Schools cannot stop students from wearing head scarves or other clothing related to religious practice under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Students can also have religious messages on clothing in the same way they are allowed to display non-religious messages on clothing.

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2. FROM THE FREEDOM FORUM FIRST AMENDMENT CENTER'S "A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS"

a. PRAYING TOGETHER
Students are permitted to pray alone or in groups, as long as the activity is not disruptive and doesn't infringe on the rights of others.

These activities have to be voluntary and initiated by the students. Students do not have the right to force a "captive audience" to participate in religious exercises.

Oklahoma: Governor Keating signed the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act into law in early 2000-JUN. Richard Fenn, associate director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide commented: "This is a significant development. Americans are taking action to protect our country's most precious freedom-the right to worship according to the dictates of conscience." The Oklahoma Senate added amendments to the bill that diluted the protection guaranteed to convicts and to churches involved in land zoning disputes. 7

Yes, I have one with and one without.