Protests planned at TDSB and Valley Park Middle School

From The Toronto Sun

Religious groups plan to protest in-school prayer sessions.

BY  , TORONTO SUN

FIRST POSTED: 

TORONTO – Security guards were planning to keep a close eye as Toronto-area Hindus and followers of other faiths gather for a press conference Monday afternoon to protest against Muslims students being allowed to pray in a North York public school.

Members of the Canadian Hindu Advocacy, Jewish Defence League, Christian Heritage and from two other Christian ministries are scheduling a protest of the controversial prayer sessions on July 25 outside the Yonge St. headquarters of the Toronto District School Board.

The groups gathered at the Toronto Zionist Centre, on Marlee Ave., to demand an end to the Friday lunchtime prayer sessions in the cafeteria at Valley Park Middle School, on Overlea Blvd.

They also plan to picket the school in the fall.

Local imams are brought in to lead a 40-minute service with about 400 students in which the boys sit in front of girls in the lunch room.

Non-Muslims are banned from the room during prayers.

The service has created controversy among parents and others who claim the

TDSB should be secular and not have religious programming.

TDSB officials, who refused comment, have said the Muslim prayers are conducted in the cafeteria to address security issues stemming from students leaving classes to attend mosque.

Ron Bannerjee, of the Canadian Hindu Advocacy, didn’t hold back punches as he bashed the TDSB for allowing the practice to continue.

“This protest is to express opposition to the TDSB for pandering to Islamic interests and allowing sexist and barbaric Islamist practices into our secular schools,” Bannerjee said prior to the press conference on Monday.

“We don’t want radical or fundamental imams teaching Islam in our schools,” he said. “They (Muslims) are hoping to take advantage of our schools.” Meir Weinstein, of the Jewish Defence League Canada, is concerned children will be indoctrinated by radical or fundamental imams who are spreading their views.

“Radical Islam is spreading across Canada and one has to look at the background of some of these imams,” Weinstein said.

The men allege some imams who are leading the prayer sessions belong to a local mosque that signed a petition calling for leniency of the Toronto 18 terror group.

“We don’t want religious teachings in our school and we are concerned about the spread of Islam” Weinstein said. “We are concerned about radical teachings in our school.”

12 Replies to “Protests planned at TDSB and Valley Park Middle School”

  1. I do not believe that public schools should grant prayer times because you can’t and will not accommodate all religion and also there are so many different sects under each religion that it would be impossible to do so. Maybe the school system can just find some quiet space for individuals who would like to pray as individuals not as a group. I am of Islam faith and if I was a attending that school I would still attend to my prayers. I don’t not need imams to lead my prayers as it is not required for me, I would quietly take a breaks throughout the day just like if you would go for a “coffee break” and do my prayers. I guess if I was to do prayers that are 40 min long, I would go to a private Islam school so that I could do so.

  2. i don’t understand how a group of muslim students praying is a huge issue for ne one else? the kids r safe, not missing school, are being taken care of by volunteers (parents teachers etc) at a time n space when cafeteria is not used by other students ne ways. and no 1 is forced into it, who ever wants to take part in it can, n the muslim kids who dont want to, don’t. nor r these kids being taught nething thats affecting others in a negative way. islam is the only religion that has daily 5 times prayers, including the ‘special’ friday prayers. thats why its arranged. if the hindu advocate wasnt ignorant, he wud’ve realized that someone else practicing their own faith doesnt stop others frm doin so, rather than advocating hate, this ignorant man shud advocate for the hindus to start praying n practicing with community as well. this world is so full of haters.

  3. If it were students of the Christian faith praying in their schools; inside or outside of their school, they would be asked to stop immediately. I guess other faiths are starting to feel what it has been like for Christians, during the past decade. And not that any Christian ever took their faith to conduction prayer session in the lunch room! As the saying goes, “What goes around comes around”! That’s why the world is round. You cannot allow one religion over another to practice their faith. It’s all or nothing! Keep religion in the churches and sex in the bedrooms. I feel sorry for what we expect our teachers to deal with! The education system needs to focus on EDUCATION – Math, English, Science, History, etc. Although our young adults are graduating with degrees they are not equipped to deal with real life work situations and human relations.

  4. reeK
    Many people feel the way you do- I’ve read and heard the same arguments made for weeks now. None of what you’ve mentioned matters.

    The ONLY thing that does, is that public schools in Ontario that grant prayer services to anyone of any faith during school hours (which includes the lunch hour) on school grounds (which includes all space from the cafeteria to the broom closets to playgrounds) is in direct contravention of the law. School boards, schools and principles are simply not in the position to grant such a thing. Believing you have the right to do something is not the same as having the right. Ignorance or in this case, arrogance, is no defence.

  5. We muslims are not physcopaths bent on terrorizing the world. There are way too many misconceptions out there about islam. A good practising muslim would never harm anybody. All islam is about is submission to god.
    Islam’s views on terrorism is one of the biggest misconceptions out there. Watch this video to find the truth for yourself:

  6. I think islamic people have no right to inflict their whatever belief on us nonbelievers. I islam is not a peaceful ideology as it tend to attack or terrorise anyone that criticise islam or their islamic god. I think islamic people should stop harming anyone that dare to criticsie islam.

  7. All the articles posted about this topic have been on the offensive side. When students are granted a two week-long holiday known as “Christmas vacation” the muslim students don’t protest demanding for an official day off from school during our religious holidays. What doesn’t make any sense is, why the protesters have an issue with the TDSB accomodating the muslim students, who are the majority at the school, but have no issue with a day off from school for Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas vaction that are all important marks in the Christian faith? The Hindu Advocacy Group who began the protest led by Ron Bannerjee, are turning a simple daily prayer, which is necessary for all who practice Islam, into a city-wide issue. Why haven’t we heard from them over issues of accomodating the Christian faith? Is it because the majority of the canadian population are christians? Isn’t 80% of Valley Park muslim? Ron Banerjee embarassed himself on that Monday, when he was asked where the protesters of the Hindu Advocacy were, and more so when he returned with no one. If this issue was bothering the Hindu population so much, would there not have been a significant amount of Hindus protesting? One of the female protesters from one of the other groups had a sign saying “Islam NO” “Muslim YES,” what does that mean? If people were even a little educated about Islam, they would know that you cannot be a muslim without practicing the faith of Islam. The TDSB is also making sure that they know where the students are at all times, and they ensure the safety of these students which is one of their top priorities. Not only that, but if students were to go off to the mosque to pray, they would not return once the prayer was over. However, these students are fulfilling both their duties as a student, and a muslim by compeleting these prayers in the vacinity of the school.

  8. Anonymous,
    Don’t skirt around the issue. The issue is prayer services in Ontario public schools which is illegal. Christians aren’t allowed to do it, Jews aren’t allowed to do it, Hindus aren’t allowed to do it, Buddhists aren’t allowed to do it, so Muslims shouldn’t be allowed to do it either.

  9. All this bollocks about “respecting” the “rights” of Muslim students at the Valley Park Middle School only reveals the shameful cowardice of the TDSB. Indeed mutliculturalism in Canada is becoming turning into a nighmare for those salf-hating white liberals, who have for so long now prostrated themselves before the false gods of Multiculturalism and political correctness. We have had a mass gang of Tamils who blocked a Toronto highway and not a single arrest, Muslims turn public school cafeteria into make-shift mosques (with the blessing of the TDSB), and Sikh children can carry a bladed weapon (kirpan) to public schools where such weapons are banned (for other kids). If white people did any of these things they would very quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

    Ain’t multiculturalism wonderful?

  10. The Lord’s Prayer
    Is not allowed in Canadian
    Public schools any more.
    A student in Toronto (East York) Ontario, wrote the following
    NEW Prayer:
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Now I sit me down in school
    Where praying is against the rule
    For this great nation under God
    Finds mention of Him very odd.
    If scripture now the class recites,
    It violates the Charter of Rights.
    And anytime my head I bow
    Becomes an Islamophobia matter now
    Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
    That’s no offense; it’s a freedom of choice
    But the rules of The Ontario Human Rights Commission are precise
    Christian prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice
    Especially praying in a school cafeteria before eating
    It offends Muslim students who turn the cafeteria
    Into a mosque comes Friday afternoon
    In silence alone we must meditate,
    God’s name is prohibited by the Province
    But Allah’s name is allowed to echo in the school
    We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
    And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks…
    They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
    To quote the Good Book makes me liable
    For a trial by The Human Rights Commission of Ontario
    It’s ‘inappropriate’ to criticize Islam, The Religion of Peace
    We’re taught that such ‘judgments’ do not belong…
    We can get our condoms and birth controls,
    Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles…
    But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
    No word of God must reach this crowd
    It is scary here in East York I must confess,
    When chaos reigns in the premises of my school
    And I am facing my fellow Muslim students’ blasphemy wrath,
    This silent plea to you my Lord I make:
    Should I be stabbed; My soul please take!

    Don’t be afraid to pass it to all those naïve Canadians who believe in tolerance. Remind them of the following words of British novelist Dorothy Sayers:
    “In this world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called indifference, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.”
    – Dorothy Sayers ~
    The name of the school is Valley Park Middle School on Overlea Blvd (East York-Toronto) where up to 400 Muslim students are allowed to take part in Friday prayers in the school cafeteria. Girls sit behind boys during prayers and girls who are menstruating must sit behind everyone. Non-Muslims are not allowed into the cafeteria during prayers.
    http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2011/09/18/18702961.html
    Sergei Bourachaga