A community divided over school prayer ban ruling: Church of England backs Britain's 'strictest...

READ MORE --Religious groups were divided today over a High Court ruling dismissing a Muslim student's challenge against a ban on prayer rituals at her school in London .

However Muslim leaders have blasted the decision as 'divisive', claiming it showed a 'fundamental misunderstanding' of what it means to be part of the Islamic faith. Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, said the High Court ruling served as a reminder that claims of religious freedom 'do not trump all other considerations'

Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh was informed but she did not intervene because this was within the school rules at the time.Ms Birbalsingh said there was a 'high degree of concern and unease' among teachers and pupils as prayer rituals had not been conducted at the school before. The student brought a High Court challenge against the school, alleging that the policy was discriminatory and had 'fundamentally changed' how she felt 'about being a Muslim in this country'.Mr Justice Linden dismissed the pupil's arguments, saying there was 'a rational connection between the aim of promoting the team ethos of the school, inclusivity, social cohesion etc and the prayer ritual policy'.

Locals in the Wembley Park area were divided by the ruling today, with some telling MailOnline it was the school's 'right', while others said 'people should be able to live by their background'. And another man, who asked to remain anonymous, backed the decision, said: 'It is hard because it's a fine line. But if the High Court has made a decision there is not a lot they can do about it. I bet the parents are up in arms.

Serge Cefai, headmaster at St Thomas the Apostle College and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Secondary School in Southwark, South London, said today that he had been 'nervous' about the implications of the High Court ruling for headteachers across Britain. 'It also serves as a useful reminder that claims of religious freedom do not trump all other considerations. If a school wishes to uphold a secular ethos, it should be entitled to do so.

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