You'd think Fox Friend Pete Hegseth would approve of a high school prayer room open to all students. But because Muslims use it, not so much. Surprisingly, it isn't a problem for Fox's resident evangelical bigot, Pastor Robert Jeffress, But for Pete Hegseth, it's just another example of how Muslims are treated better than Christians!
Texas Attorney General and Professional Christian Ken Paxton has raised (bogus) questions about Muslim use of a Texas high school's prayer room. So, given that Fox News never wastes an opportunity to diss Muslims, it wasn't surprising to see the topic discussed on Fox & Friends during one of their "Trouble with Schools" segments.
Hegseth immediately highlighted the patented Fox "controversy" in his report that "a high school classroom in Texas is being used as a prayer room and it's stirring up controversy." He introduced the patented Fox fear factor while advancing Fox’s persecuted-Christian meme: "Some fear Muslim students are getting preferential treatment." He asked if this raises "legal concerns."
Guest Mustafa Tameez, a Democratic strategist, said that this is no big deal and that business and airports provide spaces for praying. He noted that the high school room is for everybody and nailed it when he asserted that the questions about this are an attempt to "create a controversy where one doesn't really exist."
Hegseth read a statement from the school district indicating that students of all faiths are welcome. Hegseth added that the room (available every day at 2PM) is mostly used by Muslims. (Wait, what! Good Christian students aren't praying?!) He didn't mention that this room has been around for seven years. But he did frame the VERY IMPORTANT FOX PROPAGANDA MESSAGE: "Is this just religious liberty or do you feel like there is a double standard? Do you feel like Muslims students are afforded here an opportunity in public schools where Christians long ago were not?"
Jeffress didn't think there was a First Amendment issue so long as students have "equal access." But Jeffress also used the moment to promote his own conservative brand of Christianity. He said, "Conservatives need to be careful that we don’t pervert the First Amendment, like liberals do, to use it for their own agenda."
Jeffress also ranted that the First Amendment says nothing about 10 Commandment displays, Nativity scenes, or public school prayer rooms. In playing to Christian paranoia, he brayed that "liberal judges" are trying "to ban all religious expression."
Hegseth reinforced the persecuted-Christian agitprop: "But for Christians, the Bible, prayer, any activity during school time or school resources, the 10 Commandments, crosses, anything, they've been pushed out of the public square and on public schools. So don't you feel that this is a double standard? They're opening the door to Muslim students when Christians have been pushed out."
This provided more opportunity for Jeffress to rant about religious liberty and (praise Jesus!) Donald Trump. Trump, Jeffress announced, will appoint judges who will rule according to the Constitution and "not according to what liberals wish it said."
Hegseth whined about how, when he was in high school, he and his fellow Christians were stopped by secular forces. He asked Tameez if school administrators favor Muslims because, if they don't, they will "look bigoted if they don't give a prayer room to Muslims when Christians long ago have been not afforded that same opportunity."
Tameez talked about protecting "people of all faiths."
The only one who is concerned about the prayer room, which was NOT set up exclusively for Muslims, is the Texas Attorney-General. But thanks to Fox News and Hegseth, Paxton got a national platform for his crusade. Talk about creating a controversy where it doesn't exist!
Watch the hateful Hegseth on Fox & Friends, Sunday, March 19, 2017.
While I appreciate the fact that the school has no problems with any and all religions using that prayer room, I agree with El 84 that there should be no such place in a public school. A place to chill out or do some serious thinking about something should not be not denominational; failing that, it should be open to anyone, as a quiet place for pondering, praying or just closing one’s eyes on the outside world.
I told ya, he’s a con man.
I first heard Bill Moyers tell this joke: The Best God Joke Ever.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/29/comedy.religion
So they are eliminated, or ostracised, or absorbed or death camped.
So when everything gets back to normal and you are with the Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 and you are intruded upon by the Philistines of the Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912, you can tell them to go straight to hell. Or worse.
Public schools are NOT to sponsor religion. Former co-president of my education associastion, and dad was Episcopal minister headmaster of very secular All Saint’s Day School in Phoenix decades ago. We all agree that religion does not belong in public schools PERIOD.
That fundamentalist school districts provide prayer rooms for any myth religion is nonsense. Mandatory, dictated prayer, especially.