(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/20/2024) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, today welcomed a West Virginia high school’s decision to agree to provide Muslim students an adequate place to pray congregational Friday prayers on campus as they had in previous years.
Muslim students at Morgantown High School in Morgantown, West Virginia, have been informed they will now have an adequate place to pray Friday congregational (Jummah) prayers on campus beginning this Friday. The previous space had been inadequate for the students’ needs. With CAIR and the community’s intervention, this ends a year-long struggle to secure appropriate space for the several dozen Muslim students at the school.
Earlier this month, CAIR called on Morgantown High School and Monongalia School District to provide Muslim students an adequate place to pray on campus as they had in previous years.
In a statement, CAIR Community Advocacy Director Nicole Fauster said:
“We welcome this decision to grant adequate space for congregational prayers and call on Morgantown High School administrators to memorialize the Friday prayer policy on its website to ensure all parties are aware of it and to ensure Muslim students are not erroneously or arbitrarily prevented from using the space in the future.”
She noted that CAIR offers information for Muslim parents who are seeking advice on religious accommodations, parental involvement in schools and parental notification.
CAIR’s advisory, titled “The Right to Participate in Your Child’s School, Education, and to be Informed,” includes sections on “The Right to Participate in Your Child’s School, Education, and to be Informed” and “The Right to a Reasonable Accommodation.”
Washington, D.C., based CAIR also offers a booklet, called “An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” designed to help school officials provide a positive learning environment for Muslim students.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com