Dear Editor,
Reference is made to commentaries on the universal prayer at public events and in schools. In March 2017, I visited a couple of schools to give a talk about the one hundredth anniversary since the end of recruitment of indentured labourers from India. At one of the schools, before the lectures of guests from India and myself, students rose and uttered a prayer. I did not know at the time that it was a universal prayer and I did not know whether it was mandatory. When I was a student at English School (St. Joseph Anglican in Port Mourant), students (including Hindus and Muslims) were mandated to say Christian prayer and this was post-independence when the government could have abolished the colonial mandate of forced Christian worshipping in public schools. We were also forced to attend church several mornings of the week and to sing hymns and engaged in varied oblations, and we were implored by the teachers and headmaster to attend Sunday morning services.
Even if a prayer is not mandatory in schools, students would be coerced into joining their friends who stood up to utter the prayer. I do not recall if it was a taped broadcast prayer or said ‘live’ by students and staff but it was over the speaker phone. The large student body and staff stated the prayer in rote and in unison, suggesting it was taught in school to memorize it. What struck me was words in the prayers suggested that it was a Christian prayer. I queried about the prayer and whether it was foisted upon non-Christians. But I could not get a clear answer of whether it was a non-sectarian prayer. Only with Swami Aksharnanda’s missive did I get to know of a universal prayer is said at schools. I observed students clasped their hands as they would in a church or a mandir. Muslims don’t say prayers with clasped hands but in ‘doa form’ (opened hands). So the clasped hands would be a violation of their religious practices. I queried from a teacher whether all students had to follow the prayer dictate. She did say students could say prayers in their own faith. But that is not practical given that the bulk of the students are praying a certain way. Those objecting to the prayer would not want to be in opposition to the norm. It forces students to say a prayer with which they are uncomfortable and which violates their faith.
The universal prayer seems anti-Hindu, anti-Muslim, and anti-those who follows another faith (like Buddhism, animism, etc) or no faith. It is time to end the idea of a universal prayer, not only in schools but in the National Assembly as well as at all public events. The Ministry of Education should issue a directive immediately ending the universal prayer because it violates the principle of separation of church and state and freedom of religion. If there is a desire for prayers, then students must have the freedom to choose the prayer of their faith. All the major faiths must be represented for prayer invocations at public events and or the parliament.
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram
