Supreme Court Declines Appeal of Private School Denying Muslim Students’ Prayer Rights

The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear the appeal of private Calgary school denying Muslim students’ prayer rights. The school reportedly discriminated against two Muslim students who were barred from praying on campus.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that it will not hear the latest appeal from the school, Webber Academy. Reports by Global News, says the dispute was triggered in February 2012 when parents of the two Muslim students filed complaints with the Alberta Human Rights Commission (HRC).

It all began when Sarmad Amir and Naman Siddiqui, who were in Grade 9 and 10 at the school were stopped from praying on school premises. Both boys are practicing Sunni Muslims and prayer is mandatory in their religion.

However, they were told by the school that praying which requires bowing and kneeling, was against the school’s non-denominational nature. The matter escalated to several appeals spanning the past years.

In 2012, when the initial complaint was filed, the HRC ruled in favor of the boy’s families and awarded the complainants $26,000 in damages. Global News reports that Neil Webber, the school’s president said the academy will pay the original $26,000 fine, plus interest, imposed by the commission.

“We wanted to have a non-denominational school where religious practice didn’t occur at the school and that we welcomed kids from all different religions and cultures. We have that mix now, which is fantastic”, Webber said in Global News report.

“I guess life doesn’t always go the way we want it, so we’ll have to accept it and deal with it accordingly”, Webber added.

In 2023, the Alberta Court of Appeal said its decision “Webber Academy’s non-denominational policy is not affected by providing the students with access to quiet, private space to pray. In our view, it cannot reasonably be suggested that Webber Academy is endorsing any religion or religious practice, and should not be seen to be doing so, simply by providing such accommodation”.

Visit www.africanpridemagazine.com for more