A long-running authorized battle is over for a Calgary non-public faculty that had been attempting to overturn a tribunal’s discovering that it discriminated in opposition to two Muslim college students who had been barred from praying on campus.
The Supreme Court docket of Canada dominated Thursday it received’t hear the most recent enchantment from Webber Academy.
“Dissatisfied, not shocked. There’s no method ahead past what the choice of the Alberta Court docket of Attraction determined, and so we must obey the penalty when it comes to the monetary fee to the complainants,” stated faculty president Neil Webber.
“Wanting ahead to the long run, we’ll need to assume very fastidiously about what we will do to keep up our present state of affairs whereby we don’t have prayer area.”
The dispute was triggered in February 2012 when mother and father of the 2 Muslim college students filed complaints with the Alberta Human Rights Fee.
Sarmad Amir and Naman Siddiqui, who had been in Grade 9 and 10 at the faculty, advised the fee that praying is obligatory of their Sunni Islam faith. They stated the faculty advised them their praying, which requires bowing and kneeling, was too apparent and went in opposition to the academy’s non-denominational nature.
The matter resulted in a number of appeals over the previous 12 years.
In the latest enchantment final 12 months, the Alberta Court docket of Attraction dismissed Webber Academy’s argument that its non secular freedoms had been infringed upon by the calls for of the human rights fee.
Neil Webber stated the faculty, which he based in 1997 and at present has simply over 1,000 college students, pays the unique $26,000 wonderful, plus curiosity, imposed by the fee.
It can additionally take care of any calls for to supply prayer area if requested, he stated, however there have been none because the authorized battle started.
“We wished to have a non-denominational faculty the place non secular apply didn’t happen at the faculty and that we welcomed youngsters from all completely different religions and cultures. We’ve that blend now, which is incredible,” stated Webber.
“I assume life doesn’t all the time go the best way we wish it, so we’ll have to just accept it and take care of it accordingly.”
Webber stated the college’s authorized charges got here in at slightly below $1 million.
“It’s not been cheap. I believe on precept what we wished to do was the appropriate factor.”
