TORONTO – Several faith-based groups plan to protest outside the Toronto District School Board’s headquarters today over allowing Muslim prayers in a school.
The Jewish Defence League of Canada, the Canadian Hindu Advocacy and the Christian Heritage Group are opposed to a school’s decision to allow 300 students to pray in the cafeteria.
The prayers at Valley Park Middle School have been going on for about three years, but recently attracted attention after the Hindu group called for the practice to end.
The school started offering the Friday services because Muslim students were missing classes in order to attend prayers at a nearby mosque.
A local imam leads the prayers.
The groups say the school board is showing favouritism to the Islamic faith by allowing the prayer services to take place during school hours.
But the school board has said it is meeting its obligation to accommodate students’ religious beliefs by offering them a space to pray.
It has also said that only those students who wish to participate attend the service and the costs are absorbed by the community.
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