Trojan Horse gallops into Michaela School
The voracious creature that is institutionalised anti-Islamic bigotry in the UK bore its gaping maw once again in the recent High Court judgement upholding Michaela Community School’s ban on Islamic prayers, thus devouring another significant chunk of “respect and tolerance” out of the so-called British values, including religious freedom, that supposedly underpins modern Britain.
We are incredibly proud of the young Muslima (and her mother) whose strength of character and unabashed commitment to have her religious freedom acknowledged in practice and not simply in principle, in the face of baying right-wing bullies, should serve as an example of the fight for freedom of expression the length and breadth of the UK.
The centrality of performing prayers in Islam cannot be overstated. The Qur’an states unambiguously: “Indeed, performing prayers is a _duty_ on the believers at the _appointed times_” [Ch4, v103]. We are therefore astounded at the High Court’s determination of a theological matter that a Muslim pupil banned from praying “does not interfere with the pupil’s religious freedom”.
It is remarkably ironic that Michaela school which touts the highest standards of student behaviour and self-discipline has, in its sudden militant pursuit of a supposed secular ideology that “tolerates” Muslim students sporting Islamic-affirming beards and hijabs and where Muslim pupils were previously able to pray in vacant classrooms, deliberately chosen to alienate the flagship Islamic practice which fosters self-discipline and wellness like no other.
Moreover, the London Central Mosque has been candid in its disavowal of Michaela school headteacher claims that it or its Imams agreed with her Islamic prayer ban, issuing a swift refutation of any such suggestions which we consider any Imam or Islamic Centre worth its salt would loathe.
We urge the school and its governors, despite their ideological opposition, to objectively reconsider the merits of an unhindered spiritual connection through ritual prayers on the overall wellbeing of their charges who desire the reassurance, clarity and serenity it provides in a society that increasingly caters to the selfishness of the individual over and above societal edification and betterment.
Without doubt, many detest the sight of confident Muslims in communal prayer and baulk at the utterance of the prescribed words “Allahu Akbar” – God is the greatest – which, in the eyes of proponents of a securitised State, is excessive “muslimness” and a call to extremism which must be curtailed at all costs. Echoes of the bogus Trojan Horse schools takeover debacle or at the very least, detritus from that unforgiving, vengeful hoax.