UPDATE: School Apologizes for Allowing Students to Participate in Mosque Prayer

The apology to parents was made after a group that has been critical of Islamic Society of Boston Community Center — New England’s largest mosque and Muslim cultural center — released a 10-minute video featuring footage of Wellesley pupils bowing their heads during a prayer service.

The group, Americans for Peace and Tolerance, received the footage from a mother of one of the pupils, its director, Dennis Hale, said yesterday. The woman, whom they would not identify, went on the May 27 trip as a chaperone for her son’s sixth-grade class, he said.

Superintendent Bella Wong said yesterday that allowing the children to participate in the prayer service was a mistake, and apologized to parents in a letter.

Five middle schoolers participated in the Muslim midday prayer at the mosque, she said. Some can be seen in the video imitating some of the movements.

‘It was not the intent for students to be able to participate in any of the religious practices,’ Wong said. ‘The fact that any students were allowed to do so in this case was an error.’

A community center spokesman said no one from the organization asked the pupils to participate in the prayers.

‘Certainly in our tours we do not invite kids to take part, but if someone wants to come pray and take part, we shouldn’t prevent them,” said Bilal Kaleem, president of the Muslim American Society of Boston, which manages and runs the cultural center. ‘It’s more an issue with the school.”

Kaleem said that the cultural center offers tours and that Wellesley educators had set up the field trip.

Wong said the mosque visit took place as part of the sixth-grade social studies course, “Enduring Beliefs in the World Today,” which includes lessons on Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. As part of the class, pupils also visit a synagogue, attend a gospel musical performance, and meet with Hindu religious representatives, she said.