On Friday at noon, officers of the Muslim Student Association usher students into the auditorium, nudging them to remove their backpacks and keep their voices down.
As the group grows, the call to prayer is sung by a student. When it ends, Senior Mohamud Jama moves to the South wall of the shadowy auditorium to deliver the Khutbah, the narration. He encourages the students to maintain good grades, avoid drugs, and solve conflicts peacefully. After the narration, the students pray the Jumat Solat.
This may seem out of place in a public school. But according to Equity and Diversity Coordinator Ethan Dean, Friday reflection time is the epitome of South High’s values.
“To tell a large and growing population at our school that they have to prioritize their cultural identity or their school identity is not something that aligns with our beliefs at South,” he said. “We are about having a more diverse set of values. That’s what South is all about.”
“Friday prayer is one of the pillars of Islam,” explained Mohamed Alabari. “You cannot leave one of them out and still be a Muslim.” What sets Friday prayer apart is that it cannot be done in solitude. Jumu’ah is meant to be practiced in community.
Rumblings began during the 2013-14 school year, when Muslim students were leaving class on their own accord to pray. Many gathered on the balcony near the dance room. Some travelled to the mosque and back again.
“When we left class, we had no chance of coming back in without having a tardy or being scolded by the teachers. So we saw that…not as an injustice, but as something we should change,” said Muslim Student Association officer, Senior Sakarie Abdi.
Muslim students are not served by the school calendar in the same way that Christian students are. The principal days of prayer in the Christian and Jewish religions coincide with the weekend. “It’s the structure of our school week that puts us in line with this accommodation,” said Dean.
Abdi and Senior Mohamud Hassan saw the opportunity to advocate for a prayer space inside South. The students reached out to administrators to help them achieve the change. “We had support from the faculty from the early stage. We got our point across and they listened to us. They supported us in our endeavor and it worked out fine.”
“It’s beneficial for everybody. Because if that many kids are going that far, they will lose time,” said Alabari.
The adults tread lightly on Fridays, leaving most of the facilitation to the officers of the Muslim Student Association. “Both the staff and the students are aware that there is separation of religion and state. So we cannot stop them doing it, but we don’t force them to do it either. It’s their choice,” said Alabari.
Organized student prayer groups during instructional time are according to the Supreme Court. Dean explained, “From my conversations…at the district level, there’s no real rule against prayer in school…any student who wishes to pray may do so as long as it does not interfere with the academic purposes.”
Dean said that teachers and staff have been supportive because they know that “this is an important time for [students] and they are doing it in a responsible fashion.” Senior Liban Ahmed agreed that students take it seriously. “They’re quiet. They listen,” he said.
Dean sees Friday reflection as an opportunity to build teacher-student relationships. “The students are owning this. They’re saying, ‘This is important to me so I’m gonna do whatever is necessary to be able to benefit from that privilege.’”
Understanding Reflection time means learning the distinction between equity and equality. “We make sure the conversation is focused on why is this an important part of the school community, and not how is this a behavior issue or how is this an exception,” said Dean.
The MSA and their supporting adults hope that this model sets a precedent for other schools. “It’s a really positive change that we’ve made,” said Abdi.