Monthly Archives: November 2011

I was going to write “Muslim school children” in the title, but then I realised that there is no such thing of course. No child gets born as the adherent of a particular religion, all children get indoctrinated into religion by their parents and peers, a practice I consider child abuse.
Anyway, there is a case before the German Bundesverwaltungsgericht currently, that will determine whether students have a right to pray during school hours, and whether the school has to make arrangements for this to happen. The matter has already been through a variety of lower courts, which decided first for the student’s right to pray, and then eventually against it, arguing that freedom of religion legislation protects from one religion being given special treatment, and that unrest within the school needs to be prevented.
I think this could easily be solved amicably, there are enough 5-minute breaks during any school day to give children who have been raised Muslim ample opportunity to fall to their knees and mumble incantations to Allah, be it in the hallway or the toilets. But I do not agree with the notion that this kid who was raised Muslim by his parents needs to be given special treatment by a secular institution to practice his superstition. That’s just not the job of a secular, public school. It’s not a matter of religious tolerance either. Church and state are separate entities in Germany. You want to pray during school hours ? Fine, find a place to do so. But make sure you’re back in time for class.