[WillowTheWhisp]

Actually Mani I am quite appalled that anyone who is not of the Catholic faith should have holy water sprinkled on them and be expected to take Holy Communion (the circle wafer bit). I don't think that should be done either whatever the religion of those children. Did any non-Catholic children object to that?

I'm also quite shocked that Muslim children should be forced to say Christian prayers if those prayers are unacceptable to them. I know that Jehovah's Witness children can opt out of such things and school assemblies and Christmas celebrations because they don't do that in their religion.

Surely the school should respect all religious convictions and if a child does not wish to participate in something contrary or conflicting with their own beliefs then they should not be expected to do so, whoever they are and whatever those beliefs are.

A year group of children from the school where I am governor was invited to the mosque on Higher Antley Street. I was also invited and went along with them. We met some former pupils there who were learning to recite the Qu'ran and we were shown some of the written words and told how to say them. The whole experience was very educational and I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it. At no time was it ever suggested that any of us should practice saying prayers though, and I would have felt not only uneasy about participating in something which wasn't my religion but also uneasy in doing something which might have demeaned a sacred act of another faith.

I don't know if I'm explaining myself very well but I hope you can see the difference between how I feel and the idea of Islamophobia.

A Muslim friend of mine once came into our church building in Rawtenstall which also houses other rooms as well as the chapel area used for worship. She had come to look at some research materials but I also gave her a tour of the building as she was curious about what it was like inside. She asked if she was the first Muslim ever to have been in there and giggled at the idea and wondered if we as a religion had any objection to that. Of course we don't and I was pleased to see that she had no worries about being there either although I had to admit she was the first (at that date) practicing Muslim I had ever known to go in there. Since then we have had open days at the chapel I now attend in Blackburn and we have had Muslim visitors come in for a look round.