Parents' Power
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Parents? Power
I have been campaigning for Muslim schools since early 70s, because British schooling is not in a position to satisfy the needs and demands of bilingual Muslim pupils. Now MCB has accused schools of failing to respect the needs and demands of the Muslim pupils. The publication of 72-page document by the MCB is an attempt to promote better integration of Muslim pupils into the state sector. It calls for tolerance of religious needs and demands. According to Daily Express the document demands that all children to be taught in Taliban-style conditions. It calls for special considerations for Muslims in almost every aspect of school life collective worship, PE, dance, swimming, exams, school meals, sex education and parents evening. According to a study, majority of Muslim pupils are underachieving at schools because the curriculum is racist. The lessons failed to motivate or interest pupils and that the curriculum did not provide enough positive models. Head teachers have warned that meeting the needs and demands of the Muslim pupils would pose major practical difficulties for schools and it sounds completely un-doable. The British Established dismissed calls from MCB for schools to do more to accommodate Muslim pupils. In state schools, Muslim pupils are placed in situation where they feel pressured into acting contrary to their beliefs and conscience and also experience Islamophobic sentiments and comments within schools.
Bristol council spent ?18000.00 researching whether there was a demand for an Islamic school. The MORI report showed that support for Islamic schools and awareness of the Bristol Islamic School Trust campaign are at such a level within the Muslim community that the council cannot afford not to address this issue without significantly disappointing parents. I think all over the country, Muslim parents would support state funded Muslim schools. The silent majority of Muslim parents would like to send their children to state funded Muslim schools.
I did a survey in the London Borough of Newham in 1991 to find out the level of support for state funded Muslim schools. I visited each and every Muslim home in the Borough to find out their opinion about Muslim majority state schools to be designated as Muslim community schools. Nearly 90% of Muslim parents supported my proposal. The Guardian newspaper dated 5th of November 1991 devoted half a page on my efforts for state funded Muslim schools. The Channel 4 also produced a documentary which was due to be shown on that evening prime time but the broadcast was cancelled by the higher authorities because of institutional censorship and racism.
There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority and instead of replacing them with Multi-faith schools; all such schools should be designated as Muslim Community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. Muslim schools are supposed to be not only faith schools but also bilingual schools where English, Arabic and community languages would have priority for the development of economic, social and emotional literacy. State funded Muslim schools are the solution and not a problem.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk -
I have been campaigning for Muslim schools since early 70s, because British schooling is not in a position to satisfy the needs and demands of bilingual Muslim pupils.
With all due respect pal but you need to get a life.
According to a study, majority of Muslim pupils are underachieving at schools because the curriculum is racist.
What are you on about?
The curriculum is not 'racist', although some teachers might promote Islamaphobia.
The reason a third of Muslims that live in the UK leave school without any qualifications is coz;
- Some girls are forced into marriage at 16 so find gaining qualifications pointless
- Because they are a lazy bunch of brats and don?t want to learn
- It is not encouraged by Muslims even though Islam puts high value on it
- they may have an Islamophic teacher who does not want to teach them, so they get discouraged.
- Statistically Muslims live in the poorest areas in the UK and end up in the worst schools, 50% of British Pakistanis & Bangladeshis (who are predominantly Muslims) live on the poverty line.
The lessons failed to motivate or interest pupils and that the curriculum did not provide enough positive models.
School sucks, everyone believes that, sure school work is boring but theirs nowt we can do about that mate.
Head teachers have warned that meeting the needs and demands of the Muslim pupils would pose major practical difficulties for schools and it sounds completely un-doable.
Yup, Muslims are asking for too much, it?s like you want to implement sharia in schools, are you guys for real!?
The British Established dismissed calls from MCB for schools to do more to accommodate Muslim pupils.
So what if they don?t want Taliban style schools. )
In state schools, Muslim pupils are placed in situation where they feel pressured into acting contrary to their beliefs
Not true
Here in England the "kafir" accommodate more for us then what Muslim countries accommodate for non-Muslims.
Muslims in Britain are so bloody spoilt, this country bends over backwards for Muslims and all Muslims do is nit pick and look down at the West. If you hate it that much THEN LEAVE! Apart from the money what else is keeping you here?
The silent majority of Muslim parents would like to send their children to state funded Muslim schools.
Faith based schools are such a bad idea.
Muslims are already getting hassle for not integrating into society and faith based schools will only make things worse.
I?m sorry if I appear hostile but the amount of Muslims that want to implement the barbaric, sexist, unjust, sharia here in our wonderful democratic country is starting to worry me a little, and faith based schools do not help either!
What is so bad with multi-faith schools? Do you feel that you are superior and therefore need a separate school away from the "dirty kafir"?
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Peace,
Angel, I agree with you, I hope this doesn?t happen. It will cause more problems than it solves. The truth is Muslims in the UK couldn?t organise a piss-up in a brewery. OK, the education system here isn?t perfect, but the last time I checked, Afghanistan wasn?t a beacon of academic attainment.
According to a study, majority of Muslim pupils are underachieving at schools because the curriculum is racist.
I would like to know how learning musical notes can be racist. Maybe I missed something.
Zak
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Peace Jankren,
I think the situation is a little different for black people. They never had the choice to come to America to begin with, unlike these immigrant races living in the UK. To me I see slavery still going on in America. Black people who grow up in bad areas (which is more often the case) in a way are pushed into selling drugs, then they are locked up in prisons, work in the prisons, then come out and work for minimum wage, or else they join the army. Modern day slavery if you ask me. I do agree that this can be overcome, as exemplified by Oprah and others. However, it is more probable that only a few with high intelligence will make it out. It's not about working hard and anyone can do it, that is simply not the case.Peace Iftikhar,
I don't think its fair for immigrants to go to certain countries and then whine and complain about the system. If they aren't better off in the country of their choosing, then like Angel said, why stay? The idea of wanting to create a system just for muslims is to put it blunt, pretty stupid in my opinion. That is a guaranteed way to keep them from integrating with the rest of society. Anyway, why just have a muslim system? What about having a system that caters to all immigrants (as I'm sure they are in the same boat)?Laaaaater
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Britain bends over backwards to cater for ALL ethnic minorities.
There?s a certain amount of money the government puts aside for ethnic minorities / people of different faiths/cultures to make them feel more "at home". And I personally have tremendously benefited from that and I am eternally grateful for it ).
Iftikhar I used to be a Sunni Muslim and my school bent the rules to cater for me, and their were hardly any Muslims in my school, they knew nothing about my faith but were very sensitive to my needs.
Even when the odd idiot at school made a slightly racist remark to me the school took it VERY seriously and the child was harshly punished for it, even though I didn?t feel it was necessary to punish them coz it did not bother me in the first place, his racist remarks bothered them more then it bothered me.
In the UK the government has funded some Islamic schools which I am not happy about. Asking for more state funded Islamic schools is just bloody annoying.