UK teachers’ unions and anti-racism groups have warned that the rise of anti-Muslim sentiments in schools would foster an atmosphere of “uncertainty and fear” among Muslim students, amid government's failure to tackle the issue.
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“We are seeing more incidents of racialized language and bullying against Muslim children in schools and it has led to a significant number of incidents following the events in Paris,” Fiyaz Mughal, chief executive of Tell MAMA, told the Independent.
Taunted as “terrorists and “immigrants”, Muslim students have been suffering a significant increase in verbal and physical attacks in UK schools, since Paris attacks that left 17 killed.
According to Tell MAMA monitoring group, 112 Islamophobic attacks have been reported since Paris attacks, nine of which were related to schools in locations from West Yorkshire to East Sussex.
Among the anti-Muslim incidents, a Muslim student in an Oxfordshire school was confronted by fellow pupils who slapped him and called him a “Paki” and a “terrorist”.
In a formal complaint about the incident, the pupil's mother said that she was “increasingly frustrated and distressed at the clear targeting of her son and she feels that she is putting her son in danger by sending him to school”.
In another attack, the University of Birmingham, which has a large number of Muslim students, has been defaced last week with graffiti of the Nazi swastika and the words “Islam must die”.
In a bid to counter the rising Islamophobia in UK schools, the monitoring group, Tell MAMA, has repeatedly sought the support of the Department for Education (DfE) to offer training for schools in Islamophobia, but it was rebuffed.
“For the past 18 months we have sought to engage with the DfE to offer training to schools but on each occasion we have been rebuffed. The lack of engagement is worrying,” Mughal of Tel MAMA said.
“Whatever the reason, it gives the impression that anti-Muslim hatred is something that is not of significance for them.
“Lack of action is short sighted since we are seeing problems in some schools regarding bullying and prejudiced statements against Muslim students.”
Two weeks ago, 17 people have been killed in attacks on Charlie Hebdo that rocked Paris.
Seeing the Charlie Hebdo attack as a betrayal of Islamic faith, leaders from Muslim countries and organizations have joined worldwide condemnation of the attack, saying the attackers should not be associated with Islam.
Priority
Teachers union, the NASUWT, stressed that the growing Islamophobia in the British society should be tackled as a “priority”.
“For many teachers and pupils across the UK, there is a growing sense that the promotion of anti-Islamic sentiments is fostering a climate of uncertainty and fear in schools,” Chris Keates, the union’s general secretary, said.
“Teachers are in the frontline in promoting and advancing human values and human rights.”
Other British anti-racism groups have also warned that children, over the past 4 years, became increasingly viewing Muslims as a “homogeneous” group.
According to Show Racism the Red Card, an educational charity, several UK children notably respond to the word “Muslim” with answers like “terrorist”, “pig”, “praying” and “immigrant”.
“What we are seeing is a process of homogenization between immigrants and Islam. Young children equate immigrants with Muslims, and Muslims with immigrants,” Laura Pidcock, education team manager, said.
“There is a perception of Muslims as a single collective body and a sense that this can be a threat.
“We would like to see room made in the curriculum for the sort of work that encourages pupils to think for themselves and challenge these sort of views.”
On the other hand, the DfE, which has been repeatedly accused of ignoring rising anti-Muslim sentiments in schools, said that the issue became “disturbing”.
“Bullying of any kind is unacceptable. We produce clear guidance for schools giving advice on how to tackle it,” a DfE spokesman said.
“All schools must have a behaviour policy including measure to prevent bullying and they are expected to promote mutual respect, tolerance and community cohesion.”
Last week, hundreds of British Muslim imams and community leaders expressed anger after receiving a letter from a British Minister urging them to fight extremism inside mosques.
Earlier this month, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he will be seeking the introducing “more comprehensive” powers to monitor terror suspects in Britain.
Cameron said that in case he wins the next election, he will introduce a communication data bill dubbed the “snooper's charter” that will give police a sweeping power to monitor online communications.
