It began with
this post and quite a few people had their say. I then ran a poll and
the poll results were predictable. One blogger said it was hardly a big enough sample, a point I conceded and yet, in terms of Muslims having their own schools, it was 100% against. On the question of Sharia Law being allowed into Britain, it was 95% against.
I would agree with the blogger who queried the sample size except for the extreme percentages and the fact that this blog is visited equally by left and right wing, as well as the block I put on an IP address voting twice. Under those circumstances, the vote holds at least some water.
Iftikhar Ahmad, of the London School of Islamics has replied an hour ago and I feel it is only right that his comments are printed here in full and without any comment from me at this stage:
Education of Muslim ChildrenMuslim community is a part and parcel of the British society paying taxes like any other law-abiding citizen of the United Kingdom. According to the Education Act of 1944, the children should be educated according to the needs and demands of the parents.
The Muslim community was not satisfied, therefore, they decided to set up Muslim schools and not faith based schools. The number of Muslim children is on the increase due to high birth rate, immigration and conversion. Those state and church schools where Muslim pupils are in majority should be designaated as Muslim community schools.
The Muslim schools follow National Curriculum along with Islamic studies and Islamic History based on The Holly Quran and Sunnah. There is no place for Comparative Religion and European Languages. English will be the medium of instruction because it is an economic and social language for communication in the global village.
Special attention will be given to its teaching right from Nursery level by qualified British educated teachers, but Arabic, Urdu and other community languages and Islamic studies will be taught by qualified Muslim teachers from abroad. Arabic, Urdu and other community languages will be taught as religious, social and emotional languages, so that the Muslim children do not find themselves cut off from their cultural roots.
It will help them to develop Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.
One of the greatest British philosophers Sir Bernard Shaw once said that the future religion of the West would be Islam. The conversion rate in Europe and America clearly indicates that his prediction is cent percent true. The new converts to Islam are reluctant to send their children to secular or faith based schools. Mr.Yousuf Islam formally Cat Steven Started a Muslim school so that his children could attend.
The state schools have been mis-educating and de-educating Muslim children for the last 50 years. Majority of them leaves schools with low grades and unemployment is on the increase. Drug addiction, problems of run away girls and under age pregnancy is the fruits of the British education system.
The Muslim community has been passing through a phase of fourth Crusades. The battleground is the field of education, where the young generation will be educated properly with the Holly Quran in one hand and Sciences in other hand to serve the British society and the world at large. A true Muslim is a citizen of the world, which has become a small global village. We are going to prepare our youth to achieve that objective in the long run.
A true Muslim believes in Prophet Moses and the Prophet Jesus and without them one cannot be a Muslim.
My suggestion is that in all state, independent and Christian based school special attention should be given to the teaching of Comparative Religion and Islam should be taught by qualified Muslim Teachers to make the children aware the closeness of Islam to Christianity and Judaism which will help them to think about Islam, as “A Pragmatic and Modern Way of Life,” during their life time.
Ifikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Mr. Ahmad's previous comment is also reprinted below:
The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos.Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won't feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith.
Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities.
There is a belief among ethnic minority parens that the British schooling does not adequatly address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response.
State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Muslims
have the right to educate their children in an environment that suits their culture. This notion of "integration", actually means "assimilation", by which people generally really mean "be more like me".
That is not multiculturalism.
In Sydney, Muslims were refused to build a Muslim school, because of a protest by the residents. Yet a year later, permission was given for the building of a Catholic school and no protests from the residents. This clrearly shows the blatant hypocrisy, double standards and racism.
Christians oppose Muslim schools in western countries yet build their own religious schools.
British schooling and the British society is the home of institutional racism. The result is that Muslim children are unable to develop self-confidence and self-esteem, therefore, majority of them leave schools with low grades. Racism is deeply rooted in British society. Every native child is born with a gene or virus of racism, therefore, no law could change the attitudes of racism towards those who are different. It is not only the common man, even member of the royal family is involved in racism.
The father of a Pakistani office cadet who was called a "***" by Prince Harry has profoundly condemned his actions. He had felt proud when he met the Queen and the Prince of Wales at his son's passing out parade at Sandhurst in 2006 but now felt upset after learning about the Prince's comments.
Queen Victoria invited an Imam from India to teach her Urdu language. He was highly respected by the Queen but other members of the royal family had no respect for him. He was forced to go back to India. His protrait is still in one of the royal places.
There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.
Iftikhar Ahmad
London School of Islamics Trust
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
