Newsline 25 July 2014

Newsline 25 July 2014

Newsline is a weekly round-up of news and opinion from the NSS website. If you're not already a member, becoming one is the most tangible way of supporting our work. Our campaigning is wholly supported by our members, people like you who share our belief that secularism is an essential element in promoting equality between all citizens. Please join today.

News, Blogs & Opinion

‘Trojan’ report finds deliberate action to promote intolerant and aggressive Islamist agenda in schools

News | Tue, 22nd Jul 2014

A report commissioned by former education secretary Michael Gove in April to investigate claims of a plot to takeover state schools in Birmingham has uncovered evidence of "co-ordinated, deliberate and sustained action to introduce an intolerant and aggressive Islamist ethos into some schools in the city".

The report, authored by Peter Clarke, the former head of the Metropolitan police's counterterrorism command, raises concerns about the vulnerability of some pupils to radicalisation, and states that there is "very clear evidence that young people are being encouraged to accept unquestionably a particular hardline strand of Sunni Islam that raises concerns about their vulnerability to radicalisation in the future".

This comes in diametric opposition to Birmingham Council's report carried out by the former head teacher independent adviser Ian Kershaw, which claimed that there was "no evidence of a conspiracy to promote an anti-British agenda, violent extremism or radicalisation in schools".

Clarke's report, which includes evidence such as social media exchanges between senior staff at the schools concerned, contradicts Birmingham council's previously stated view, saying the offending ideology "manifests itself as the imposition of an aggressively separatist and intolerant agenda incompatible with full participation in a plural secular democracy".

The former police chief describes the ideology as not only a rejection of secularism and other religions, but other strains of Islamic belief too. He says, "It goes beyond the kind of social conservatism practiced in some faith schools which may be consistent with universal human rights and respectful of other communities. It appears to be a deliberate attempt to convert secular state schools into exclusive faith schools in all but name".

He describes the ideology as "an intolerant and politicised form of extreme social conservatism that claims to represent and ultimately seeks to control all Muslims. In its separatist assertions and attempts to subvert normal processes it amounts to what is often described as Islamism".

Clarke describes the agenda, as stemming from "an international movement to increase the role of Islam in education", concluding that, if "left unchecked, it would confine schoolchildren within an intolerant, inward-looking monoculture that would severely inhibit their participation in the life of modern Britain".

Exchanges on social media between senior figures at Park View Academy, one of the schools at the centre of the 'Trojan horse' row, included statements of intent to increase segregation at the school, homophobic remarks, disparaging comments about other Muslims, and anti-Western sentiment, including the questioning the truth of reports on the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby and the Boston bombings.

In one school, Golden Hillock, the report noted that students were shown images of jihad, involving a battlefield and rocket launches. At the same school students who did not wish to attend prayers had pressure put on them by staff and other students.

Mr Clarke suggests that children in the schools concerned were indoctrinated. One school appointed prefects nicknamed "religious police" by some teachers, who claimed that they reported to the head teacher any staff or pupils who were behaving in an un-Islamic way.

Women and non-Muslim staff were undermined. One female senior leader giving a presentation on the school's sex education policy at a governors' meeting was shouted down and told she was trying to encourage boys to masturbate, before a governor said that he would not continue speaking to her because she was female.

Shahid Akmal, a former governor from one of the schools concerned, Nansen Primary School, told an undercover reporter from a local Birmingham paper that, "white women have the least amount of morals," white children were "lazy" and that British people have "colonial blood".

Mr Clarke's report is heavily critical of Birmingham City Council, and suggests that the authority failed to support teachers and governors.

The former police chief talks of "incontrovertible evidence" that senior officials and elected members of Birmingham city council were aware of the practices set out in the 'Trojan Horse' letter as early as 2012.

He says, "There was never a serious attempt to see if there was a pattern to what was happening in school governing bodies. The council's approach has been variously described to me as appeasement and a failure in their duty of care towards their employees."

He also points to some potentially serious problems in some academies, stating that: "In theory, academies are accountable to the secretary of state, but in practice the accountability can almost amount to benign neglect where educational and financial performance seems to indicate everything is fine".

In response to Peter Clarke's report, the recently-appointed education secretary, Nicky Morgan, described its findings as "disturbing".

She said that "schools should open doors for children not close them" and that they should be preparing pupils for life in Britain. She also stated that "we should start with children and not with faith in relation to these matters"

Ms Morgan maintained the government's commitment to maintaining the central role of parents in the school system, and stressed that the findings of the report do nothing to undermine the government's education policy of the past four years. She said, "The expansion of the academy programme has been one of the great successes of this government". Ms Morgan also reiterated her approval and support for faith based schools.

In light of Birmingham City Council's failings, the Education Secretary announced there would be an Education Commissioner for Birmingham - and there would be a wider inquiry into the governance of schools in the city, which would report later in the year.

Teachers in the schools could face misconduct charges, she told MPs.

The shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt, said that "at heart of this report" there is a "devastating indictment of the government's schools policy" and stated that the "free-market model" of education pioneered by Michael Gove has "sunk".

He charged the government with a "chaotic education policy" that has "increased the risk of radicalisation", and talked of a "malign neglect" by the government with reference to its academies policy.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) rejected many of the report's findings, and accused Mr Clarke of being guilty of "conflating conservative Muslim practices with a supposed ideology and agenda to Islamise secular schools". However, the MCB said it supported "inclusive education" and was not calling for a curriculum that promotes segregation, or an outlook on life that does not accept the pluralism that exists in Britain today."

Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, commented:

"Mr Clarke's report demonstrates that in a diverse society, schools' duty to community cohesion, rather than being "entirely peripheral" as Michael Gove once described it, is in fact key to ensuring our schools properly meet the needs of young people and wider society.

"The focus should now be on moving away from policies that encourage fragmentation and segregation in our schools, and instead creating a secular education system with a minimum curriculum entitlement for all pupils in all schools.

"The Government should also seize this opportunity to review the role of religion in schools and consider whether children's best interests are best served by an education system that not only permits, but actively encourages those running state schools to promote and seek to instil particular religious beliefs in children and young people."

The National Secular Society will be responding to the Government's consultation on improving independent schools standards.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: gender segregation at campus events “unlawful”

News | Mon, 21st Jul 2014

The National Secular Society has welcomed new legal guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) clarifying that – outside of religious worship and practice – gender segregation of university and campus events is unlawful and should not be permitted.

The EHRC intervention comes after Universities UK (UUK) published guidance relating to external speakers in universities which provoked controversy by suggesting that audiences might be segregated to accommodate the demands of religious speakers.

The National Secular Society argued that a speaker's right to free speech does not extend to him or her being able to insist that an audience be segregated on gender grounds.

In December 2013 UUK withdrew the guidance after the EHRC said that it thought the gender segregation aspect of the guidance was potentially unlawful and "needed clarification".

EHRC's new advice states: "Gender segregation is not permitted in any academic meetings or at events, lectures or meetings provided for students, or at events attended by members of the public or employees of the university or the students' union."

Although a speaker's religious beliefs may lead them to wish to address only a gender segregated audience, the EHRC guidance makes clear that, "any claim of religious discrimination on the basis of a refusal to permit gender-segregated seating would not succeed as the prohibition would be justified in order to prevent unlawful sex discrimination."

The commission has made clear that, while "genuinely" voluntary gender segregation is permissible under the law, it would be "impracticable" to demonstrate that gender segregated events were voluntary and free from the explicit or implicit implication that men and women should sit separately.

The guidance also notes that, "The provision of a non-segregated area within the lecture hall does not prevent that disadvantage arising to either gender."

The guidance highlights circumstances in which events or services may be segregated by gender or made accessible for a specific gender, including: "communal accommodation, toilets and changing facilities, sports and welfare provision together with the potential for positive action measures". Religious worship and practice are also exempt from the guidance as they do not fall under the scope of the Equality or Human Rights Acts.

Mark Hammond, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "Gender segregation in our universities and higher educational establishments is a controversial issue as well as a complex area of the law. Universities, higher and further education institutions have a legal duty to ensure that all students, employees and members of the public can enjoy access to events without unlawful discrimination.

"The Commission's guidance will help higher education providers and student unions to understand their legal obligations and avoid the risk of discrimination due to a misinterpretation of the law."

The new guidance was also welcomed by Chris Malburn, President of the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secularist Student Societies. He said: "Freedom of belief is a fundamental right, however, no-one should have the right use their beliefs to make demands that impact on the personal freedoms of others."

A spokesperson for Universities UK said it had updated its guidance, External speakers in higher education institutions, to take account of the EHRC's advice.

Over the course of 2013 the National Secular Society received a number of reports of gender segregated seating events at universities; including an event organised by the Islamic Education and Research Academy and held at UCL where, NSS Honorary Associate, Professor Laurence Krauss refused to participate unless the segregation policy was reversed.

Research carried out by Student Rights found that discrimination through segregation at student events has become a "widespread" trend at many UK universities.

Read the EHRC's guidance for universities and student unions

A parent’s perspective: a review of the ‘collective worship’ requirement is long overdue

Opinion | Fri, 25th Jul 2014

As a parent of a 6 year old daughter, Alison Fenwick argues that the obligation on schools to 'worship' impinges on her parental right to raise her child in accordance with her own beliefs.

I first became concerned about the status of the Christian religion in English schools when I attended my daughter's primary school assembly and saw several tapestries on the walls depicting scenes from the Bible, and when our daughter told us that sometimes in assemblies, pupils 'pray' to 'God'. As our daughter attends a community school and not a 'faith school', this came as quite a surprise.

As we have recently moved to the UK from Australia, it has been troubling to see the more overt role religion plays in the state schools here. By comparison, in Australia students have a timetabled 'scripture' class, where the parents can choose for their child to attend a range of different classes depending on their faith, or, crucially, to attend 'non-scripture' (which the majority chose in my experience). Australia has been experimenting with introducing 'Ethics' from Year 4 as an alternative to Religion in primary schools, and those trials have been very positively received. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the churches in Sydney have objected loudly to this move.

Religions know all too well that the best way to enrol new followers is to get them young. Not only are they more impressionable, but also far less likely to question an adult's authority, or have any capacity to distinguish the difference between a teacher who tells them that 2+2=4 and one who tells them that God created the world and everything in it. At a young age, most children want to conform and belong. Religions are well aware that if they make an inroad into cultural habit by making their faith an integral part of that, then they may just have snagged a believer for life.

As a result of our concerns I met with my daughter's head teacher. She assured me that the curriculum demanded that a 'multi-faith programme of study' be in place, and that children are taught about many faiths and the role that faith plays in different people's lives. She did however admit that there was sometimes praying in assembly, and assured me that she would in future remind her staff that if they were to deliver a Christian assembly, then they would preface any act of prayer with the words 'if you would like to, then you can bow your heads to pray'. She expressed a personal preference to invite the children to have 'quiet reflection time', which is easily done and far more palatable.

I also stressed the need to preface explanations in RE lessons and assemblies with a phrase such as 'Christians believe that…..' or 'Sikhs believe that…', etc. I don't think one can be over-sensitive about how crucial that distinction is for young children. They need to be able to distinguish intellectually and semantically between 'fact' and 'belief'.

My concern is that apathy and a lack of imagination have been the driving force behind many schools' compliance with the anachronistic edict to have "collective worship" in schools. For many, it's simply a box ticking exercise for Ofsted.

But we as parents have the right to ensure that schools do not impede our right to raise our children in accordance with our beliefs. It's entirely reasonable to want to protect children from being compelled to worship anything. We shouldn't need to withdraw our children from any part of the school day in order to have this right respected.

It's hard to see how 'collective worship' can be reconciled with 21st century thinking and cultural and religious diversity. Reviewing the very use of such an overtly religious word as 'worship' would be a good start.

An ideological clash is inevitable as soon as one 'side' or other wants to dig its heels in – but a review of the 'collective worship' requirement is well overdue. Organised religions – predominantly Christian ones – have had an open door to recruitment in our state schools for far too long, and have been allowed to have a disproportionate influence in a modern world which is at odds with the thinking of the 1940s, when this requirement became statutory. As a parent, I strongly support a push for a review of the role of religion in schools, and an end to the legal obligation on schools to worship.

Alison Fenwick is a secondary school teacher and mother to a 6 year old daughter. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the NSS.

MPs debate Eid and Diwali public holidays

News | Wed, 23rd Jul 2014

MPs have debated a proposal to create two new public holidays for the Muslim and Hindu holidays of Eid and Diwali. The debate was introduced by Harrow East MP Bob Blackman who sponsored an e-petition calling for Muslims and Hindus to have the most important days in their faiths recognised in law.

Introducing the petition, Mr Blackman said: "Wouldn't it be a statement that we as a nation embrace these religions, and the people who hold them dear, and we are ready to recognise their place in our society?"

E-petitions which receive 100,000 signatures or more through the Government's website are considered for debate in the House of Commons (scheduling difficulties led to the debate taking place in Westminster Hall) and with 123,319 signatures the petition, started by Jon Timmis, is the second most supported on the site. Few MPs attended the debate, which coincided with a Commons statement from PM David Cameron on Ukraine and Gaza

The Government's response to the petition was published before the debate, stating:

"The Government is grateful for this e-petition. We are very aware of the importance of these festivals which are widely celebrated in the UK. The Government is committed to bringing people together in strong, united communities. We encourage and support people to have shared aspirations, values and experiences. Festivals such as Eid and Diwali contribute to this objective.

"We regret however that we cannot agree to create new bank or public holidays to mark these festivals. The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions including religious festivals. However the current pattern is well established and accepted. Whilst we appreciate a new national holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy remains considerable and any changes to the current arrangements would not take place without a full consultation."

Despite the Government's response Mr Blackman remained positive, saying: "I trust that this debate will be the beginning and not the end."

In the 2011 census the UK's 2.6 million Muslims and 800,000 Hindus were the countries second and third largest religious groups – or third and fourth if the non-religious are included. Although the petition only addressed Eid and Diwali, Mr Blackman said: "I do not see why it should not be expanded to include other popular major religions".

Economists are divided over whether public holidays have a net negative or positive impact on the economy. However, in the debate MPs sought to avoid framing the issue in purely economic terms.

At present the UK has fewer public holidays than any other country apart from Mexico and China. However taking into account the statutory minimum of 20 days annual leave for full time staff the UK is broadly in line with other countries in terms of actual holidays taken.

The Government's policy is to encourage employers to "respond flexibly and sympathetically to any requests for leave, including requests for religious holidays, bearing in mind business needs."

Under the Equality Act employers must try to accommodate requests for time off in observance of a religious holiday or festival when it does not interfere with their business. Otherwise, a refusal may amount to unjustified indirect discrimination.

Questions were also raised about the impact of religious festivals on school attendance, when these dates do not coincide with public holidays. Mr Blackman claimed that in Manchester "one in ten school days were missed due to religious occasions for Muslims", which he said "raises concerns about educational attainment in that particular community."

Keith Porteous Wood, National Secular Society executive director, said: "Some of the UK's public holidays have Christian (and before that, Pagan) associations, but in our secularised country are now celebrated as much by non-Christians as Christians.

"Any further public holidays granted on religious grounds will however prompt the next largest religion to demand its most revered days off, and then the next, which is unsustainable."

"Both the religious and non-religious should be able make arrangements to enjoy time off with their friends and family on days which are important to them.

"Schools and employers should be free to make their own arrangements as to what days they close, and presumably, reduce other annual leave entitlement and general holidays accordingly."

See also: transcript of the debate.

The world must respond to the cry of Iraq’s Christians

Opinion | Thu, 24th Jul 2014

Religious cleansing in Iraq is making a "hateful mockery" of international law which should protect people and uphold their freedom to follow our own beliefs, argues Lord Alton

The last Christian has now been expelled from Mosul. The light of religious freedom, along with the entire Christian presence, has been extinguished in the Bible's "great city of Nineveh" — the centre of Christianity in Iraq for two millennia. This follows the uncompromising ultimatum by the jihadists of Isis to convert or die.

On Sunday Pope Francis expressed his profound anguish: "Our brothers are persecuted, they are cast out, they are forced to leave their homes without having the chance to take anything with them." The UN Security Council has denounced these crimes but we desperately need to do more.

Before pitilessly exiling the Christians on foot, Isis stole everything they had — homes, businesses, cars, money and even wedding rings, sometimes with the ring fingers attached. Churches have all been destroyed, shuttered or turned into mosques.

Isis has taken a sledgehammer to the tomb of Jonah, replaced the cross with the black Islamic flag on top of Mosul's St Ephrem's cathedral, and beheaded or crucified any Muslim who dared to dissent.

Even before the arrival of Isis, targeted persecution of Iraq's Christians, who still pray in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, was ignored. The numbers in Mosul have gone from 30,000 to zero.

Iraq is now a disintegrating failed state. The only people who have successfully withstood Isis are the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. To their credit, the Kurdish leadership has been generously offering safe haven to Mosul's fleeing Christians and has asked for international aid to help it do so. This crisis justifies huge humanitarian and resettlement aid that could include micro and business loans to help people to help themselves. The West must also press the Gulf to end the funding of Isis.

Overall the world must wake up urgently to the plight of the ancient churches throughout the region who are faced with the threat of mass murder and mass displacement. The UN claims it has "a duty to protect", while Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, born in the embers of the Holocaust, insists that each of us must be free to follow our own beliefs.

The religious cleansing and unspeakable bigotry at work in Mosul makes hateful mockery of both.

Lord Alton of Liverpool is a crossbench peer and this week lead a House of Lords debate on Article 18.This article first appeared in The Times and is reproduced here with kind permission of the author. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the NSS.

Essays of the Week

NSS Speaks Out

Our executive director Keith Porteous Wood discussed the role of religion in schools on a number of BBC local radio stations, and NSS President Terry Sanderson appeared on LBC arguing against a proposal to Make Eid and Diwali Public Holidays.