Some time ago the subject of wearing the hijab, and whether it should be allowed in Irish schools, was a topical one. I remember listening to a debate on RTE Radio One at the time, when one of the participants took the line that Ireland was a “modern, secular state” and that such religious displays were not appropriate. He had hardly got the sentence out of his mouth when the secular, state, RTE presenter announced, without a trace of irony: “Thank you. And now it’s time for the Angelus”. Ireland in microcosm.On a related issue, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools “violated religious and educational freedoms” after a complaint was taken by Soile Lautsi, who lives in the north of that country. The Italian government defended the use of the icons on the grounds that they were a symbol of “culture, history, identity, tolerance and secularism”. Secularism?
Whichever way education develops here in Ireland, it has to be one or the other. Either you “respect” all religious franchises, and segregate education to cater for each of them - or you take the line that religion is a private matter, and that State schools should be genuinely secular with no religious displays or bias.
I think the latter option is the only one that makes any kind of sense. Education should be broad, inclusive, and non-divisive. It should not be geared towards narrow, exclusive interests, religious or otherwise. It’s the future, after all, and we can’t afford to get it wrong.
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7 comments:
Well said GM. And as members of the EU this should apply to all nations within that Union.
Why stop at schools? Our local guards station has a poster in the window advertising a traditional Latin mass - does that include samba dancing, I wonder.
But let's be fair - Ireland is as open to all believes as Henry Ford was open to requests for car colours. I recently visited the chapel in a state hospital. A sign on the door proclaimed that it was non-denominational and open to all faiths. Which is nice. The large crucifix bolted to the wall, however, seemed to slightly mar this idea ...
@ Anon. Hopefully it will... think it's the only way we'll get progress on some things here!
@ Bernd. Love the Henry Ford analogy. And from what I understand, he wasn't the most inclusive sort either...
Couldn't agree more. My father did a double take when he saw the Dáil say a prayer before the Bull's verbal diarrhea.
I say get all schools out of the clutches of the religious and no religious symbols should be displayed in public buildings.
Yes, Mor. Prayers in parliament eh? Deffo incompatible with a "modern, secular state", I'd say!
hey GM..."Whichever way education develops here in Ireland, it has to be one or the other. Either you “respect” all religious franchises, and segregate education to cater for each of them - or you take the line that religion is a private matter, and that State schools should be genuinely secular with no religious displays or bias."
there is another way...why not just ban that tyrannical ideology (aka Islam) from the public square...(notice i don't dignify it by referring to it as a religion)
Theres a bit of a controversy brewing at the moment RE: Funding for Protestant schools but most/all of the commentators tend to miss the point that the Government actually have no business funding religious schools at all be they Protestant, Catholic or Moonie
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