Civil rights group also said that schools should now protect secular observances, such as a coach kneeling to protest before a game.
(WASHINGTON, DC – 6/27/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and organization, today responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that a football coach had a right to pray on the athletic field after the end of games by calling on schools to treat employees of all faiths equally and protect students from direct or indirect coercion.
In today’s ruling, the Supreme Court sided with a high school football coach in Washington state who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games. Some students and onlookers later voluntarily joined him in prayer. In its 6-3 ruling, the justices said the coach’s decision to pray was protected by both the Free Exercise and Free Speech clauses of the First Amendment.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority: “The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”
SEE THE COURT’S RULING.
SEE: Supreme Court Sides with Coach Who Sought to Pray After Game
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“Although we strongly believe that public school employees have the right to pray and visibly practice their faith in many circumstances, we are concerned that schools will not extend this right equally to employees of all faiths and that some students may feel coerced to participate in certain acts of worship.
“If the Supreme Court truly meant what it said today, then a Muslim high school football school coach observing Ramadan has the right break his or her fast and pray on the field immediately after the end of a game, Muslim students have the right to voluntarily join in the prayer, and students of other faiths cannot be directly or indirectly penalized in any way for not participating.”
“Public schools implementing this ruling must ensure that all employees, including followers of minority faiths, receive equal treatment for similar acts of devotion and that their religious observances do not directly or indirectly coerce students to participate.”
Mitchell added that the Court’s interpretation of the Free Speech Clause also means that secular observances, such as a coach “taking a knee” before a game starts, should be protected.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]