Muslim students in Texas asked to convert an unused classroom into a prayer room so they could pray during designated times. Christian Pastor Robert Jeffress is all for the room.
“Christians have been pushed out by an absolute perversion of the First Amendment, but we as Christians don’t have to push down somebody else’s religion,” the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas says.
“I believe as long as students had equal access to the room, it’s not a First Amendment issue,” Jeffress continues. “I believe we really as conservatives need to be careful that we don’t pervert the First Amendment like liberals do to use it for their own agenda.”
The room can be used for students of every faith background, a district spokesperson said.
But Texas Attorney General Bill Paxton is worried the room will be used exclusively by Muslim students.
A letter from his office sites the campus newspaper’s report that the room is only open to “some students.”
The school administration, however, says that as long as students are the ones leading the charge, the prayer room is open for all.
“I think the trademark of what makes Liberty High so great is our diversity and in how our students respond to the different cultures and diversity on campus,” Principal Scott Warstler said. “Like I’ve said, this is the seventh year that we’ve been doing this, and we’ve never had one issue. You know we have other religious student groups that meet maybe before school or maybe after school. As long as it’s student-led, where the students are organizing and running it, we pretty much as a school stay out of that and allow them their freedom to practice their religion.” {eoa}
