Supreme Court Calgary Private School That Didn’t Allow to Muslim Students For Prayer

by Ahsan Ashraf

original_dfefa6fe-eceb-4ecf-aadc-e48589da0a9a

A long-running legal fight is finished for a Supreme Court Calgary private school that had been frustrated to overturn a court's finding that it victimized two Muslim scholars from praying on the school campus. People of Calgary and other countries are wondering about the news about the Supreme Court Calgary private school.

Webber Academy calgary
Webber Academy

"We must look forward to the forthcoming, we'll have to deliberate very cautiously about what we can do to preserve our existing situation whereby we don't have much space for prayer."

Supreme Court Calgary Private School That Didn’t Allow to Muslim Students

The argument began in 2011. In December, two 14-year-old students registered at Webber Academy. The school staff member found blank spaces in classrooms and offices for those students to pray for their first two weeks at private schools in Calgary.

The students' names are Sarmad Amir and Naman Siddiqui. Sarmad Amir is in Grade 9, and Naman Siddiqui is in Grade 10 at private schools in Calgary, Alberta. They told the commission that praying in their Islam religion is mandatory.  

Moreover, they told the commission that praying is mandatory in their Sunni religion. The parents also requested the president to reevaluate their children's request. Neil Webber told their parents that the boys would be allowed to pray in school only if they didn't bow or kneel so no spectator would know prayer was happening and went in contrast to the non-denominational nature of the academy and school. This matter has caused many applications over the past 12 years.

The Alberta Human Rights Commission drove the disagreement in February 2012, and the parents of the two Muslim students filed complaints.

Supreme Court Calgary Private School Rejected Their Appeal

The Supreme Court of Canada declared the rule and said it won't receive the newest appeal from the non-denominational Webber Academy. In reply to the question raised, school president Neil Webber, who founded the school in 1997, declares he's dissatisfied but not amazed and that there's no other way forward.

According to Neil Webber, the Calgary school president, there needs to be a method forward elsewhere regarding the conclusion of the Supreme Court Calgary Private Schools Alberta of Appeal. After that, we will have to follow the consequences regarding the economic payment to the complainants.

President Fined $26000 Two Students.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded a 12-year legal clash to reverse an Alberta Human Rights Commission (HRC) conclusion that resulted in a $26,000 fine against Webber Academy. Moreover, the private schools in Alberta will deal with any upcoming prayer facility requests from parents.

The private school declined the written appeals from the parents of students, maintaining that its non-denominational position was an essential part of its character.

In the most recent petition, last year, the Alberta Court of Appeal terminated Webber Academy's argument that the Commission on Human Rights demands invaded its religious independence. 

The Supreme Court has declined to hear and receive the appeal of the Calgary private school, which two Muslim students founded. The Supreme Court of Calgary didn't give any reason to announce the refusal against the appeal of two Muslim students of a private school in Calgary. I just got news from an email to CBC News. The president of Webber Academy, "Nail Webber," presented a brief comment in response to the court's conclusion. 

Neil Webber sent a note to the Supreme Court of Calgary: "The decision is very unacceptable and disappointing, but I want to thank all people who stayed and stood with us over the 12 years the case has been earlier Alberta courts,"

The private School Calgary Alberta gets a new hearing in an argument over two Muslim students for human rights.

He said he would also agree to any requests to offer prayer space if asked, but this is the first time anyone has done so since the legal battle started.

Again, Webber Neil said that "we needed to have a non-denominational private school in Calgary where the practice of religion didn't arise at the school and that we greeted kids from all different religions and nations. We have students of different religions in our school, which is fantastic."

Life doesn't always go how we want it, so we don't need to be disappointed. We just have to admit it and agree with it.

"He said the legal tuition fees of the private schools Calgary is just under $1 million, which is very inexpensive. I think on rules and opinions what we needed to do was the right thing."

The non-denominational private school claimed that offering the space of prayer was susceptible to the secular environment. This disagreement was unconventional despite Webber Academy exposing a Christmas tree every year in the school. 

But students spent 17 days in the school. President Neil Webber observed that the students were praying on campus and communicated with their parents to guide them that the practice would no longer be acceptable. 

Otherwise, Neil Webber said,

the students could pray off private school campus.

Non-denominational Strategy ‘Not Impacted’

Again, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) favored Sarmad and Naman, and the school was interested. The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta terminated Webber Academy's appeal. Last year, the Alberta Court of Demand declined to overturn the human rights conclusion.

"Webber Academy's non-denominational policy is not precious by offering the students with access to silent, private place to pray," inscribed the Alberta Court of Request in its 2023 decision.

"In our view, it cannot judiciously be recommended that Webber Academy is approving any religious practice, simply by delivering such accommodation."

 

agent-avatar

"My job is to find and attract mastery-based agents to the office, protect the culture, and make sure everyone is happy! "

+1(403) 973-7986

ahsan.79@hotmail.com

1512 21 Ave NW, Calgary, T2M, 1L8, Canada

GET MORE INFORMATION

Name
Phone*
Message

By registering you agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. Consent is not a condition of buying a property, goods, or services.

};