Anti-Western Islamic schools praised by OFSTED for community cohesion
Islamic schools have been commended by OFSTED school inspectors despite evidence that they openly oppose Western values. Research by The Daily Telegraph has unearthed evidence that OFSTED have turned a blind eye to the teaching carried out at several schools.
Several OFSTED reports have been written by inspectors with links to extremist Muslim organisations. Akram Khan–Cheema is the chief executive of the radical Islamist educational foundation IBERR (International Board of Educational Research and Resources) and Michele Messaoudi has ties with the radical ‘Global Peace and Unity Conference’ (GPU). Both have been judges for the GPU, which features a mix of moderate and fundamentalist speakers, and sells items glorifying terrorism. The IBERR describes Islamic schools as “one of the most important factors which protect Muslim children from the onslaught of Euro–centrism, homosexuality, racism, and secular traditions”.
Some of the reports have been carried out by the Bridge Schools Inspectorate, a venture promoting cohesion between Christian and Muslim schools. However, the organisation allows Muslim head teachers to inspect each other’s schools and is only overseen by OFSTED.
In contrast, there have been examples of Christians not being able to convey their beliefs at schools. Even head teachers are not immune. Bill Beales faced suspension in 2002 for saying that Christians who express mainstream Christian views on moral issues, such as divorce, homosexuality and single parenthood, are discriminated against and declared to be bigots.
Conversely, Islamist schools have received praise in OFSTED reports despite their overtly anti–Western stance. The private Madani Girls’ School in East London forces pupils to wear veils and their website states, “If we oppose the lifestyle of the West, then it does not seem sensible that the teachers and the system which represents that lifestyle should educate our children.” Despite this, their OFSTED report, which was carried out by Mrs Messaoudi, concluded that the school left pupils “well–prepared for life in a multi–cultural society”.
Hannah Stuart, of the Centre for Social Cohesion, said, “A whole generation is being brought up to at the very least suspect, and perhaps even despise, the society they will have to live in. This is deeply worrying for the future of community cohesion.”
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