Both sides of Britain's Muslim problem!

Hang on to your hats and put on your seat belts folks, we have a two-parter today!

(1.)

I would like to give you a quote from a publication called "Religious News Blog;"

Islamophobia
The term Islamophobia was launched in 1996 by a self-proclaimed “Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia.” The word literally means “undue fear of Islam” but it is used to mean “prejudice against Muslims” and joins over 500 other phobias spanning virtually every aspect of life. … The term presents several problems, however. First, what exactly constitutes an “undue fear of Islam” when Muslims acting in the name of Islam today make up the premier source of worldwide aggression, both verbal and physical, versus non-Muslims and Muslims alike? What, one wonders, is the proper amount of fear? - Islamophobia?

For some reason England seems to be at the forefront of problems with Islam and some of the situations they are facing could help us here in North America to prepare for the eventuality of seeing the same conflicts over here.

First of all, there is an inquiry to check independent faith schools because of government concerns that some do not teach children how to fit in with British society.

The review will examine the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at small religious schools. It will look at whether children are learning to distinguish right from wrong, and are being taught to respect the law.

The anouncement by Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, yesterday is thought to be a response to recent criticism of some Muslim schools, or madrassas.

A report from the right-wing think-tank Civitas claimed last month that some Muslim children were being prepared to live in Muslim enclaves, distinct from the rest of society.

This follows a campaign by two Muslim governors to give Islam a greater presence in a state school played a key part in forcing a successful Headmistress from her job, the High Court found yesterday.

Erica Connor, 57, the former head teacher of the New Monument primary school in Woking, Surrey, was forced to leave the school because of stress after she was accused of Islamophobia.

The court was told that over two years, two governors campaigned to make the school more Islamic and that their behaviour had torn apart the school's governing board.

Ms. Connor was hounded out of her job and was awarded more than £400,000 in compensation.

The Daily Mail revealed that the school’s troubles started when a local mosque decided to pack the governing body with Muslims.

Paul Martin - a Muslim convert - and Mumtaz Saleem began monopolising meetings with the aim of turning New Monument in Woking into an Islamic faith school.

Mr Martin, a businessman, yesterday confirmed there had been a ‘conscious effort’ to increase the number of Muslims on the board.

But when Mrs Connor resisted the new governors’ plans - such as the introduction of Islamic worship into the school - she became the target of a smear campaign.

An anonymous petition was circulated among parents, stating that those signing ‘no longer have confidence in Erica Connor to educate our children in a way that respects and values our faith, culture and heritage’.

An accompanying document accused the headmistress of ‘racism and Islamophobia’.

She eventually retired from the 300-pupil school because of illhealth in December 2006.

(Ed. note; I am not going to comment on this story but I thought it important for you to know about it.)

Forewarned is forearmed!

(2.)

I have an announcement to make folks!

We publish a lot of stuff on this blog and a fair bit of it is about politics and religion with a bit of humor thrown in to relieve the tension.

However, information I get about a certain issue is always subjective according to my view or the view of the person who I got the info from.

This means that what you read here is not always the bold, unvarnished, naked truth, but rather some variation of the truth depending on the objectivity of the writer!

As an example of this, I just received a reply to my article about Muslim schools in Great Britain that showed I presented one side of the argument but not necessarily the correct one.

Or the answer lies somewhere in between.

I don't know!

That's what make blogs so interesting........ it all depends on your point of view!

I am going to reproduce the letter here in its entirety and let you decide where the middle ground is!

-Allan; IftikharA has left a new comment on your post "Are Islamic faith schools teaching right from wrong?"

Muslim parents teach their children to respect their teachers. From a very young age, we are taught that Islam teaches us that after our parents, our teachers are most deserving of respect. Also, western politicians put a huge blame on parents for neglecting their children’s upbringing nowadays. Parents are blamed for allowing their children to grow up as uncouth, disrespectful, promiscuous and antisocial members of society.

So it must be an extremely confusing time for the Muslim parent in Leytonstone, London. For up to 30 parents may face prosecution for withdrawing their children from school, disobeying the teachers in the school, simply to secure a decent moral upbringing for their children. The school had decided to have a week of lessons about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. Part of this was a special adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retitled Romeo and Julian as well as fairytales and stories changed to show men falling in love with men.

The Muslim parents have been told that local council officials may 'take action' against them for 'unauthorised absences' from school. Last year the Guardian reported statistics published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families showing that a record numbers of pupils persistently played truant in 2006-07, with around 272,950 pupils persistently absent in 2007, missing more than 20% of school. We rarely see councils prosecute the parents of these persistent truants. Yet, the parents who removed their children as a one-off to protect their morality may be prosecuted!

If the local council does decide to go through with a prosecution, it would be in line with the government's approach to the Muslim community. Last month Communities Secretary Hazel Blears confirmed what had been leaked in the newspapers, that Muslims who believe homosexuality was a sin against the law of Allah (swt) would be labelled as extremists. Liberal totalitarianism is a growing phenomenon in Britain and the west in general but many people will be shocked that the school can override a parent's view of what's appropriate or inappropriate to teach their children.

This latest episode should be a wakeup call for Muslim parents. Teachers are paid to teach our children. They are certainly not paid to impose their liberal values on our children. Muslim parents MUST explain our moral standards to schools and be prepared to take steps to protect our children’s morals and values from a growing agenda to impose liberal values upon them.

The solution of all the problems facing Muslim children is state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers. Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority may be designated as Muslim community schools. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods.

“O you who believe. Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” [TMQ At-Tahrim 66:6]

There ya have it bunky. Things are not always as black and white as they seem.

Your humble author;
Allan W Janssen

Allan W Janssen is the author of the book The Plain Truth About God (What the mainstream religions don't want you to know......!) and is available as an E-Book H E R E ! and as a paperback H E R E !

Visit the blog "Perspective" at http://allans-perspective.blogspot.com