Islam and Faith Schools 22 April 2004

Prompted by interest on the WCF Message board, a re-examination of the debate about faith schools. With a large Muslim community in our area, is it right that Christian schools should be state funded whilst Islamic schools are not? What have the different faith traditions to teach us, in practical terms, about education?

The speakers were welcomed:
S.N.Bokhari - from the British Council of Muslims, a teacher with wide experience of schools.
Cllr Danny Cornellan - Deputy leader Merton Council, who steered Merton’s schools through their recent reorganisation and into the new PFI rebuilding scheme, standing in for Cllr Geraldine Stanford, Cabinet member for education and lifelong learning.

Iftikhar Ahmad, a teacher, of the London School of Islamics, an Educational Trust, posted a message on the Civic Forums message board in November 2003 about the tragedy of the ‘honour killing’ of a daughter by her father. He argued that no devout Muslim would kill his daughter, but that an Islamic school would have given continuity between home and school and bridged the cultural divide between the traditional father and the daughter’s western lifestyle. Arabic and Urdu languages contain cultural history, and should be taught in order that young people can understand their own culture and poetry.

John White had responded by asking the Civic Forum to tackle challenging but pertinent issues such as this. The Civic Forum had already held a meeting on Faith Schools in October 2002, but revived the issue because of its topicality. We must learn from Islam if we are to understand the world situation and apply these lessons in order to make a practical difference at local level.

There are about 7,000 government funded faith schools in this country, of which in November 2001, there were 6,384 primary schools, and 589 secondary schools. 4,716 faith schools are Church of England, 2,108 Roman Catholic, 32 Jewish, 4 Muslim, 2 Sikh, one Greek Orthodox and one Seventh Day Adventist. Until Labour was elected in 1997, all state funded faith schools were Christian or Jewish. [Source: Guardian]. Of the Muslim schools, 2 are primary, 2 secondary, one in London (Brent), 2 in Birmingham, and one in Bradford. Two more Muslim schools are opening in September 2004.

Mr. Bokhari explained his perspective, as a teacher, recently retired, who started in a Catholic school, then Church of England (mixed), a boys' comprehensive, and a girls school, in north and south London over 30 years. His view is that in an ideal world there would be good, mixed faith, community schools: primary schools within 5-10 minutes walking distance, secondary schools within 20 - 25. But this is not an ideal world, it is Britain, where we adjust the edges, so such a proposition is not possible in the real world. We have comprehensive schools, foundation schools, city academies, selective, non-selective, fee-paying, non-fee paying, single-sex, mixed. Schools select according to ability, aptitude, proximity, and faith.

If we look at the numbers of faith schools, we see that of a British Muslim population of 1.8 to 2 million, with four faith schools, and compare this to a Jewish population of 260,000, with 27 state funded schools, surely something is not quite right. The British Council of Muslims assess that some 5-10% of Muslims would like to send their children to faith schools. At the present time around 200,000 Muslims send their children to Christian schools. If there are going to be faith schools, Muslims should have a fair share.

So what could faith schools be? Muslim schools, like any other schools, with professionally qualified teachers, teaching the national curriculum, inspected by OFSTED. They are required to operate good practice and spread good practice around. They would allow non-Muslim children to apply, but education would be taught under a Muslim ethos.

What would Muslim schools be like? Are they going to produce the next Ayatollahs, Bin Ladens? Mr. Bokhari recently visited the Muslim school in Brent, and was pleasantly surprised. It is a school like any other school, yes the girls wear headscarves, but to watch the children play - it is like any other school. Key stage 2 results are high, among the highest achieving schools in the Borough.

Danny Cornellan responded that London Borough of Merton's perspective is that the council does not have a policy. If the Muslim community wants a faith school, and a package is put together for Merton to consider, they will consider it. Mr. Cornellan handled the planning application for the Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, for example, showing that the council can work with the Muslim community.

This attitude was welcomed, but it was noted that not all Local Education Authorities have this view. It is possible to start faith schools, if sufficient people get together, and if the Department For Education and Science allows, but the procedures in place can effectively discriminate. For example in the board which assesses applications, the faiths are represented exclusively by Christians, and if one Protestant minister objects, the scheme cannot go ahead.

Issues raised in the subsequent discussion included:
Integration versus isolation: all were against ghettoising elements of the community, and agreed that in an ideal world local integrated multi faith schools were to be encouraged.

Muslim schools should not and would not be allowed to become islands, there would be regular links to other schools and the community. Remember there are 180,000 white Muslims, modern British Muslims are a diverse community, a mini united nations, all colours.

Muslim children can be educated successfully at Christian schools, One father said his sons had been to Emmanuel School in Wandsworth, joined as Muslims, and left as Muslims - with this tolerance why should separate schools be necessary?

On the other hand why should taxpaying Muslims be subsidising other faith schools? The education system has failed a number of parents. If there are good alternatives, the pressure for faith schools is less.

Teaching of Arabic is necessary for reading the Qur'an, a mother explained that Arabic lessons on evenings and Saturday morning took a great deal of time both for the children and the parents who had to ferry them.

The issue of Roman Catholic schools and the debates held in the 1890s were relevant, then there had been fear that Roman Catholic Schools would spread 'popery' and these schools have been accepted.

It was argued that to create Muslim schools was to retreat back into their own community, and a sign of weakness.

Robert Yuille commented that an increase in the number of Muslim or other Faith Schools is likely to be detrimental to the quality of mainstream schools, especially in London, by removing some of the most able children from mainstream state education.

A lady educated in Mauritius described how their society does operate community mixed faith schools successfully. How it important to learn wherever you are 'seek knowledge even if you have to go to China'.
It was noted that Eton now has an Immam as part of the chaplaincy team.

Someone educated in Luton in the 1960s described how Anglicans and Jewish went to one school, Roman Catholics to the other, and this affected their entire circle of friends.

One issue is that in order to start a school one has to find money, and the Muslim community is relatively poor overall.

A Quaker remarked that it was important that religion is not imposed on children, that they should have the right to participate or not. All agreed that in practice this was desirable but parents still had choice over children by law.

Religious education at state schools is multi faith, but religion is a way of life, not only a subject to be studied.

Mr Cornellan reported how the head of OFSTED had suggested on 21 April 2004 that since daily worship is not really happening in many state schools the requirement might be lowered.

Summary: Mixed local community schools are the ideal. Since there are faith schools, Muslims should be allowed them just like any other community. It is fundamentally a question of justice. Integration must be underpinned by justice.

Meeting held at the Wimbledon Community Centre, 28 St George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4DP 22 April 2004 6.30-7.45pm. Notes by Marcus Beale.