Newark Public Schools has settled a lawsuit filed by a former student who claimed he couldn't attend his graduation from West Side High School because it was held in the sanctuary of a local Baptist Church.
Bilal Shareef, a Muslim student, said his religious faith prohibited him from entering a building with religious icons, such as pictures of God or images of the cross. He skipped the ceremony held at New Hope Baptist Church in June 2006. Students were also offered two additional tickets to graduation if they attended a Baccalaureate ceremony held at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic Church.
The lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Shareef in March 2007 claimed the district violated the state Constitution by discriminating against students because of religious principles and forcing people to attend a place of worship contrary to their faith. It was settled Thursday.
"There is a reason the Constitution forbids preference of one religion over the other: Government, especially school officials, should not be in the position of making certain people feel favored, while making others feel like outsiders," said ACLU-NJ Legal Director Ed Barocas, who represented the Shareef and his father Ahmad Shareef.
Terms of the settlement require the district to apologize to the Shareefs and other students who "felt forced to forego or uncomfortable attending the 2005 or 2006 graduations," Barocas said. The district also agreed not to sponsor or promote religious events, not to hold student events in places of worship and not to hold student events in other religious buildings unless religious images are covered.
What is getting lost here is this was not a church service. It was a secular event held inside a church building. An adult should have taken this kid aside and told him going to a secular event inside a church building won't hurt him. In fact it might broaden his life experiences and teach him some tolerance.
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Hat tip: Weasel Zippers
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