British School’s Prayer Ban Deemed OK As Muslim Student Loses Legal Challenge

IQNA – A legal challenge field against a school in the UK by a Muslim student over prayer ban was rejected.

The school was previously dubbed Britain's strictest over its ban on "prayer rituals".

The pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took the action against Michaela Community School in Brent, north London, claiming the policy "uniquely" affects her faith, with prayer one of its five pillars.

The High Court heard in January how she alleged the school's stance is "the kind of discrimination which makes religious minorities feel alienated from society".

Defending the policy, lawyers for the school argued it is "justified" and "proportionate" after it faced death and bomb threats linked to religious observance on site.

During a two-day hearing, the school's headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh - commonly referred to as Britain's strictest - said on X it was defending an environment "where children of all races and religions can thrive".

The school has around 700 pupils and roughly half are Muslim.

Birbalsingh welcomed the judgment as a "victory for all schools" and said they should not be forced to change because one pupil and her mother "don't like something".

Following the ruling, education minister Gillian Keegan described the school as "outstanding" and said headteachers are "best placed to make decisions".

In a written judgment, Justice Linden said: "She [the pupil] knew that the school is secular and her own evidence is that her mother wished her to go there because it was known to be strict.

"She herself says that, long before the prayer ritual policy was introduced, she and her friends believed that prayer was not permitted at school and she therefore made up for missed prayers when she got home."

Birbalsingh, a former government social mobility tsar, introduced the policy in March 2023, after up to 30 students began praying in the school's yard, using blazers to kneel on.

Lawyers for the school said students seen praying outside contributed to a "concerted campaign" on social media over the school's approach to religion.

The court was also told the pupil is making a "modest" request for permission to pray for around five minutes at lunch time, on dates when faith rules required it, but not during lessons.

The student also challenged allegedly unfair decisions to temporarily suspend her from school, which the judge upheld.

Source: news.sky.com