You can teach my children about Islam but you can’t make them pray to Allah.

I am all for people knowing the basic details of the various world religions. Knowing the basic beliefs and how those beliefs affect the person’s day-to-day life is useful. For instance, if someone is involved in their Christian church, don’t invite them for Sunday brunch or a Wednesday evening activity. Those are usually church times. Likewise, Jews who attend synagogue aren’t going to be free for a dinner party Friday night. If a Jew or a Muslim is coming for dinner, make sure at least some of the food doesn’t include pork unless you know that it’s okay. I’d say have some non-alcoholic beverage choices available but that’s really a given these days. It’s worth knowing that Hindus consider cows to be sacred animals and that many Hindus are vegetarian. Muslim women wear hijabs (or worse … burqas) and children are going to wonder why. Explain it to them. Likewise, if you know someone is a Jehovah’s Witness, don’t invite them to a birthday party.

However, teaching about the various belief systems and customs is quite different from forcing children to participate in a particular type of worship. In the UK, two children were given detention because they refused to pray to Allah as part of a class activity. That’s right. The entire class was expected to perform the Muslim prayers. In school.

In years past, all students in Saskatoon Public Schools said the Lord’s Prayer each morning. This practice ended in the 1990′s after non-Christian parents complained. I agree with them that prayer has no place in school. Any prayer. From any religion. Students should not be forced to perform the rituals associated with any religion as part of their education.

Last year during Ramadan, Muslim children in my daughter’s class spoke to the class about Ramadan, fasting, Eid, and how they pray. That’s where it ended and that’s sufficient. I hope to never have to confront a situation like the one in England. I won’t take it quietly.