[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by Eric

I think the point I was trying to make, is that there has to be something more than religious tolerance at issue in order to generate such a heated debate. I know only a couple of muslims well; and as far as I can remember my latitudinarian attitudes and their commitment to Islam has never come up in conversation in any serious fashion. It's not the question of religious tolerance I see being debated here, but more like the question of National identity ...

No, it tends not to crop up when I chat to Muslims I know about other things either, but Islam is the actual topic of this thread because it's about 2 non-Muslims who were given detention for declining to participate in a Muslim form of worship. We/they should be free to decline to participate in any or all forms of worship should we/they so wish. Provisions and allowances are made for such in school for those whose religious affiliations would be offended by taking part in worship based assemblies, prayers, nativity plays etc. It's not as if the idea is unprecedented.