A San Diego-area high school is backtracking after its administration received backlash when it removed an Islamic selections from an upcoming concert lineup.
Earlier this week, Mt. Carmel High School asked the school’s choir director to remove an Islamic chant from the Thursday evening concert program after a parent complained it showed religious elements.
The choir director told NBC 7 that the concerned parent does not have child in the Classical Choir Ensemble.
Earlier in the week, the high school principal and assistant principals talked with their choir group and let them share their opinions, according to one of the students in the choir ensemble.
On Wednesday, the students were told to remove the Islamic Chant called “Zikr” and a Korean Chant because it couldn't be directly translated.
Choir student Alyssa Marine said the songs were connected throughout the concert to show how America is diverse.
“It kinda just sucks because they just like kinda hated just that one song and that one religion and I just thought that was kinda messed up,” Marine said.
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Early Thursday, Mt. Carmel High School told NBC 7 that administrators reviewed all of the songs scheduled to be performed in a choir performance and a decision was made to change portions of the performance.
This decision was based on input from parents, students and teachers over the past two days, school officials said.
Students say they have been working on the songs since the beginning of the semester and enjoyed the fact that the concert would showcase different cultures.
But at about 4 p.m. Thursday, Principal Greg Magno sent an email to the choir families, announcing all the songs will be included in the performance.
Magno plans to read a statement before the concert that explains he has read through the Education Code and Board Policy, but in the end, the most important thing is to listen to students.
"The students performing tonight chose those particular pieces because they represent and honor the diversity in their choir, the diversity at their school, and the diversity in their community," the statement says. "These students made the right decision when they put together this program. They have my full support and the support of the Superintendent and the District for the performance you are about to hear."
The concert is scheduled to take place at the high school at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
