Currently, at Andover, the Muslim student population is made up of around 8-12 students, representing less than 1 percent of the student population. There is one Muslim faculty member, new this year, representing less than 1 percent of the faculty population. Over the last several years, Muslim students have been given access to various prayer spaces, the school unable to provide one consistent location. Originally, there was a room in the basement of the chapel reserved for Muslim students, but after repeated use of this room by non-Muslim students for inappropriate behavior, the administration completely closed it off to both non-Muslim students and Muslim students. The prayer space then moved to the library, with the students expected …show more content…
Currently, Andover is seen as a place where it is impossible to pray everyday, and that image should be changed. Initially, we proposed the creation of a faith space within the library, available for Muslim students and students of any other faith as well to use for prayer, meditation, etc., and solving the problem of centrality. This room would be protected by blue card access, and to gain access to the room students would need to fill out a school-approved form, solving the problem of exclusivity as only dedicated individuals could use the room. Also, because the library is open all week and for most hours, the room would be available for most of the day, solving the problem of availability. The strengths of the original idea were in its centrality, exclusivity, and availability. However, there were some unforeseen flaws in our plan noticed by Mr. Prescott and three Muslim students interviewed for feedback: Newaz Rahman, Sawsan AlShaiba, and Hana Illikkal. Fortunately, the weaknesses (what are they? Am I supposed t already know this?) pointed out by those four do not change the fundamental idea of the project: to dedicate a space to Muslim students and other underrepresented faith groups, but the way we go about doing that must change. Our feedback found that the weakest points were in our single-mindedness in location, the size of the space, the possible noise factor, getting access to the room, and spreading awareness. Instead of just thinking about the
Religion is one of the most controversial issues in society today. The concern of allowing prayer in schools is an on-going debate and has resulted in numerous lawsuits. Religious school clubs, after school activities, curriculums, and moments of silence during school are just a few of the court cases that judges have administered. People in favor of prayer in schools believe that their children can only learn certain values through religious practice. On the other hand, an individual against religious practice in schools views this issue as an infringement on his or her children’s rights as Americans.
It is not coincidental that there has been an increase in births to single mothers, divorce rates tripling, and teenage suicide increasing. Allowing prayer in schools has set valuable standards and morals for graduates and current pupils. Currently ninety percent of the countries kids are enrolled in the public school system being influenced every single day they are present. Proven by previously mentioned statistics, the majority of morals clearly dropped after the removal of prayer in public schools in 1962. Without prayer, people have become more and more obliterate to God-based values, this causes people to neglect crucial things such as the sacredness of marriage. “After 1963 divorces increased by 300% each following year”(Prayer in America) Many argue and take to the opposition that marriage is just a piece of paper, when in all generality, it is a gift from God. Single mothers, sexually transmitted diseases, divorces, violent crimes, and teen suicide
Islam originated in present day Saudi Arabia where the prophet, Muhammad, had been born. Islam would later be able to spread quickly through trade, the appealing nature of the Islamic faith, and military campaigns.
School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. The issue of school prayer is about whether the public school systems should let the students pray, at the start of the school day, as a class. The issue of school prayer began in the late sixteenth century when people in England did not approve of the way one religion was forced upon them, so the Puritans, known as the Pilgrims decided to come to the colonies. Even in the colonies the Pilgrims had problems with religion they had to sometimes resort to highly creative strategies in order to pray. When people were caught having a secret service they would have to face the consequences that the law enforced, whether it was going
The next big issue in the American cultural war is the controversy of whether or not school prayer should take place. The Republican Party supports the idea of voluntary, student-led prayer but not the idea of teacher-led prayers. One of the main focuses is to “return voluntary school prayer and enforce the Republican legislation that guarantees equal access to school facilities by student religious groups” (Republican Party Platform ). The Democratic Party had a similar
Prayer will have a profound effect on the children. Those that are of younger ages will develop an attitude of gratitude because someone taught them to pray. They can be introduced to other gods if they chose to. They will renew the founding fathers’ ideals of what the United States of America was built on as far as God goes. In God we trust. Morals and values have almost disappeared completely in the public schools. David Barton wrote “ The schools have declined since prayer was removed in 1962. Teenage pregnancy rates have gone up 500%. SAT scores have steadily declined each year for 18 straight years since 1962. The United States is rated 15th among the industrialized nations.
For centuries, the debate has existed whether or not to allow prayer in public schools. Many Americans feel it is not right of the schools to teach religion. With all the diversity associated with the United States, public schools cannot select one standard religion to practice, due to the cultural and religious differences in the country. Not only are schools the storm center of controversy involving religious differences, they are the principal institution charged with transmitting the identity and mission of the United States from one generation to the next. If we fail in our school policies and classrooms to model and to teach how to live with differences, we endanger our experiment in religious liberty and our
Allowing prayer in public schools remains a divisive and extremely passionate issue for various individuals. Americans have voted against the guiding principles for prayer in school, but the question, "should prayer be allowed in school?" continues to arise. Prayer in public schools has become one of the most controversial issues in the United States today. What keeps this matter boiling is the fear that a child will be influenced, or even worse, “offended” by another’s spiritual beliefs. By removing school prayer, the U.S Supreme Court has misconstrued the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. In order to protect our neighbor’s feelings, we have replaced the ingredients of religion and prayer in our schools with teen pregnancy, increased alcohol and drug use, sex, suicide, school shootings, and last but not least, an excessive amount of entitlement. Our children need something bigger than themselves to turn to when they are faced with difficult times. A simple two minute moment of silence would allow believers and non-believers the opportunity to meditate each morning and set the mood for the remainder of the day.
Stereotypes often determine how we see people who are different from us. Stereotypes play such an important role in our perceptions of others, but what exactly are they? A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing (Williams, 2013). In essence, stereotypes are not limited to different races and ethnicities, but also include: genders, social classes, cultures and even certain hobbies. In light of the increase of negative attention that Muslims have been receiving in the media, the stereotypes discussed in this paper will be centered on Muslims. Specifically, the stereotype that all Muslims are terrorists will be analyzed.
Ever since September 11, 2001 Americans along with the majority of the world’s population have been skeptical of Muslims. It’s a sad reality but it’s hard for people to think of a Muslim without linking them directly to terrorism. But these assumptions aren’t totally out of the blue—the Muslim’s religion, Islam, teaches a low tolerance for other religions and the Islamic government has no separation of church and state, so it’s only normal to assume that their government shall have a low tolerance as well—some however, immediately translate this into terrorism. Through the Islamic government and religion, relations with foreign countries, and separation amongst themselves it can be concluded that Islamic Fundamentalism is clearly a threat
Prayer plays such a big role in many people’s lives. It happens each and every day and multiple times throughout the day. Even though it can play a huge role in someone’s life, it cannot be practiced in schools. Prayer in school has been a very controversial topic for many years. According to Steven K. Green, “On June 25, 1962, the United States Supreme Court decided in Engel v. Vitale that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in schools violated the First Amendment by constituting an establishment of religion (Green 1).” It has since then been taken out of school preventing teachers to preach or teach about religion.
The two largest religions in the world, Christianity and Islam, were implemented by two of religions most powerful leaders, Jesus and Muhammad. Without question, both Jesus and Muhammad have affected humanity powerfully. As religious leaders both men laid down the principles upon which Christianity and Islam are founded yet today. However, while Jesus performed miracles and arose from the dead, thus proving to his followers he was God, Muhammad performed no such feats, and made no such claims. In fact, Muhammad’s only claim was that he was the last prophet sent from God.
In today’s society women are given ample opportunity just as much as men. In some countries, such as middle-eastern nations that is not the case. Muslim women are often perceived to be submissive to Muslim men and unequal. Mohammed never taught for women to be treated as lower class citizens. Nonetheless, the blame is pointed towards the religion of Islam. The Islamic religion began as all monotheist religions representing a belief in one God and moral standards. In the following essay I will discuss and elaborate what Mohammed taught, how women lived in early Islamic society, and what it has become.
Muslim culture generally reflects the traditions and customs of Muslims that they adopt for a perfect and respectable life in the society according to the lessons of Quran. Muslim culture is a giant combination of diverse cultures, That’s because Muslims live in various countries all over the world. Most of the practices are common faiths and guidance for all Muslims no matter what country or even content they reside in.. These basic faiths and belives are based on the teachings of Islam. The Muslim culture is a subject of debate for many people who lives in different parts of the world and belong to diverse communities. Muslim culture represents the unification of brotherhood where all Muslims are bound to
For my paper I decided to choose the religion of Islam. I decided to pick this religion because of its fast growing rate. It is also different from what I am used to growing up with, so I was interested in learning more. I had learned some basic facts after the 9/11 event, but the Muslim religion and culture was still a mystery to me. Picking this topic has helped me learn more about Muslims and will help me better relate to them in my future work.