Church of England School Caught Making Children Pray to Allah Without Parents Knowledge

Seven Year Old Children Allegedly Forced to Pray to Allah at Church of England Primary School

A Church of England primary school in Lincolnshire is at the centre of a growing controversy after a parent alleged that seven year old children were "coerced, manipulated and cajoled" into performing Islamic prayers during a Religious Education lesson.

The father, a Christian, discovered the incident when his young daughter told him at bedtime: "We did prayers to Allah yesterday." He reported that a teacher showed the class a video of Muslims kneeling on prayer mats facing Mecca while reciting a prayer, then encouraged the children to "have a go."

According to the parent, pupils were asked to remove their shoes and participate in "the full physical prayer process," including kneeling and bowing their heads. He stated the school did not seek parental permission beforehand and offered no option for children to opt out. None of the children in the classroom were Muslim.

We all need to do the performing of the prayer.

This is what the teacher allegedly told the class, according to the father's account.

Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice, who serves as MP for Boston and Skegness, has taken up the case. He wrote to the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, expressing "significant concern" and seeking clarification on how Church of England schools approach the teaching of other religions.

The Diocese of Lincoln, speaking on behalf of the unnamed school, rejected the father's characterization. A spokesperson for the Diocesan Board of Education stated that pupils were merely "invited to demonstrate some of the movements associated with Muslim prayer" and insisted it was "not an act of worship."

No prayers or religious words were spoken and no child was required to take part. No mats were used and pupils were not asked to face any particular direction.

However, the Diocese acknowledged that what occurred "went beyond what had been planned in the teaching arrangement" and that kneeling in a manner akin to the prayer was "outside the lesson's intended approach." The school has pledged to "undertake appropriate reflection to ensure future lessons continue to align fully with the intended non confessional approach of RE."

The father has reported the incident to Lincolnshire Police.

Reform UK Demands Answers From Archbishop Over Islamic Prayer at Christian School

The controversy has ignited debate about the boundaries of religious education in Church of England schools. Critics argue there is a fundamental difference between teaching children about Islam and asking them to physically perform Islamic prayer rituals. The Diocese's own admission that the lesson exceeded its planned scope has only fuelled outrage among parents.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let us be absolutely clear about what happened here. Children in a Christian school were put on their knees to pray to a god that is not their own, without their parents' knowledge or consent. The school's defence that "no religious words were spoken" is laughable. You do not kneel and prostrate yourself for exercise. Every Christian knows what that posture means.

Now ask yourself this: what would happen if a teacher in a Muslim school taught seven year old children to kneel before the Cross and recite the Lord's Prayer? The outcry would shake the foundations of government. The teacher would be sacked before the end of the day. Yet when it happens the other way around in our own Christian institutions, we are told to be tolerant.

Tolerance is not a suicide pact. The Church of England was founded to serve the faithful of this nation. If it cannot protect the children entrusted to its schools from being coerced into the rituals of another faith, then it has abandoned its most sacred duty.

Take Action

• Write to your local MP about the importance of parental consent before children participate in any religious practice at school. Find your MP at members.parliament.uk.
• Contact Richard Tice's office to support his inquiry: members.parliament.uk/member/5161/contact.
• Speak with your child's school about their RE curriculum and ask whether children are expected to physically participate in non Christian religious practices.
• Support Christian education advocacy through www.TheShepherdsShield.org, which works to protect the rights of Christian families.
• Share this story with fellow parents at your church. Awareness is the first step to ensuring this does not happen at your children's school.