UP School recites versus of all religions in morning assembly, Parents against Islamic Kalma

Established in 2003, the school in Kanpur has a ritual of reciting the Gayatri mantra which is part of Hinduism, Gurubani which is part of Sikhism, and Islamic verse, and other religious verses in the morning assembly.

Parents are staging demonstrations against an act of equality conducted by a private school in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. According to Firstpost, the school conducts prayers from all religions - Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity in the morning, as informed by the principal.

Established in 2003, the school in Kanpur has a ritual of reciting the Gayatri mantra which is part of Hinduism, Gurubani which is part of Sikhism, and Islamic verse, and other religious verses in the morning assembly.

Parents against Islamic Versus

However, parents are against the school teaching 'Kalma', an Islamic oath of allegiance, to Hindu students.

Parents have complained to police that their children studying in Florets International School were allegedly being forced to recite Islamic prayer during morning prayer.

Student recites Islamic prayer fluently

A father of a student studying in Florets International School, Kanpur learned from his wife that their son recite Islamic prayer fluently after learning them at school, according to ANI.

He further said that he went to school but the admin refused to stop it. "I then created WhatsApp group and informed the people along with those from BJP," the father said.

According to a report by news agency IANS, the practice of reciting 'Kalma' during morning prayers has been followed for over a decade. Right-wing activists alleged that the school has been forcing religion on students.

School recites prayers of all religions

"A matter came to the light, that students were made to recite some lines from Islam religion in a school. We talked to the school administration, they told us that they recited prayers of all religions. Since objection was raised, they stopped doing it," ANI quoted Nishank Sharma, ACP, Kanpur as saying.

Inquiry ordered against the act of equality

On August 1, that a team of police visited the school to investigate after notifying the District Magistrate and local police, according to a senior cop. An inquiry has been ordered into the matter based on the investigation report of the police.

It’s a practice to respect all religions, says Principal

While answering to the media, the school principal clarified that the school recites prayers of all religions- Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity as an act of equality.

"As parents objected to Islamic prayer, we have stopped it and only national anthem is being sung during morning prayers," she said.

The principal further clarified that, "There is surely no intention of promoting any one religion. The school diary has verses of all major religions including Hindu, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam etc written in it."

The principal also stated that the school practice of reciting verses from different religions was started as a practice to give equal respect to all religions. Now all of a sudden a group of Hindu radicals and some parents opposed it.

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