Schoolchildren have allegedly been coerced into performing Islamic prayers at a Church of England (CoE) primary school.
The act of worship is said to have involved seven-year-old children at a Lincolnshire school - with parents revealing that pupils were encouraged to kneel and bow their heads in the Muslim prayer style.
Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice recieved a complaint from a concerned father in his Boston and Skegness constituency last week.
It said children were “coerced, manipulated and cajoled” into performing the act of worship - “despite none of the children in the classroom" being Muslim.
According to the Christian parent, his daughter's class were shown a demonstration video on how to correctly pray before being urged to “have a go”.
The Telegraph reports the prayer happened in a religious education lesson on Wednesday last week.
As he was putting his seven-year-old daughter to bed, the father said he was shocked after his daughter declared: “We did prayers to Allah yesterday.”
He claimed his child went onto describe the teacher urging the children to take off their shoes and telling the pupils: "We all need to do the performing of the prayer."
The act of worship is said to have involved seven-year-old children from a Lincolnshire school
|REUTERS
The parent has now said the school did not seek parental permission ahead of the lesson or given pupils the chance to decline performing the act.
The incident has been reported to Lincolnshire Police.
Speaking on behalf of the unnamed primary school, the Diocese of Lincoln has rejected the father's account of events.
The Diocesan Board of Education has insisted the act was "not an act of worship"
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Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice recieved a complaint from a concerned father last week
| GETTYA spokesman said: “During the lesson, which began following the relevant lesson plan, pupils were invited to demonstrate some of the movements associated with Muslim prayer.
“Although this was outside the lesson’s intended approach, 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.”
They added that it would “undertake appropriate reflection to ensure future lessons continue to align fully with the intended non‑confessional approach of RE”.
Richard Tice has written to the new Archbishop of Canterbury over the prayers
| PAMr Tice has since written to the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, saying he was looking for clarification from the CoE on how “schools approach the teaching of other religions, particularly in a way that respects parental rights and avoids compelling pupils to participate in religious practices”.
The Reform UK leader told Dame Sarah: “This matter has understandably caused significant concern among parents and clarity on the Church’s position would be greatly appreciated."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Diocese of Lincoln’s education board told The Telegraph: “The school’s RE curriculum does not involve children taking part in acts of worship from any faith.
"It follows the diocese’s approved, non‑confessional RE programme, which teaches pupils about how different religious people pray through academic exploration and discussion, and is part of a wider sequence including Christian, Jewish and Sikh prayer."
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