A Florida teacher who was seen interrupting Muslim students during their prayers and accusing them of performing "magic" has been fired from the job. The racist incident took place at the Franklin Academy in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
Teacher Says She "Believes in Jesus"
The video of the incident was initially posted on TikTok following which it went viral on other social media platforms too. The 45-second clip shows a couple of students offering a prayer as one of them recites "Surah At-Tin" from the Quran. The students are seen bowing on the floor as they continue with their prayers.
In the background a teacher is heard entering the room saying, "Hold on, this is my office. And y'all doin' all this magic." The teacher is then heard blowing a whistle and trying to get the students' attention before walking over them as they prayed, almost stepping on one of their hands in the process. "I believe in Jesus, so I'm interrupting the floor," the teacher said.
When she goes on to ask, "And why they in my office?" someone is heard responding, "They're praying." Fox News reported that student-led prayers that do not disrupt instructional time are protected under the First Amendment.
Revealing that the teacher was fired, a statement was issued by the Franklin Academy. Stating that they were made aware of "a very troubling TikTok video" and that they "do not tolerate discriminatory behavior in any form."
"While we do not discuss personnel matters, we can share that the teacher in question is no longer a member of the Franklin Academy staff," read the statement, posted to Facebook.
Social Media Reacts
The viral video sparked a lot of angry reactions from the social media users who condemned the teacher for her racist reaction. "She could have handled this more respectfully, but also seems she had no idea her office was the space admin told those kids to pray. How about instead of firing her, the Muslims in that school simply teach her about what they were doing?" tweeted a user.
"Glad #FranklinAcademy acted so quickly on this. What a wicked thing to do to those boys!" tweeted another user.
"Freedom OF Religion means ALL Religions, and for those who follow NO Religion, this teacher was way out of line," expressed another user.
