Every day, British authorities find new and creative ways to demonstrate their cluelessness and impotence. They’re confronted with a clandestine plot to take control of schools — a plot conducted by people with contempt for British society and law, and an aspiration to replace them with Islamic law. In response, they devise a voluntary code of conduct — as if these people who believe that British authorities are fools and British laws are blasphemous garbage will suddenly turn around and start voluntarily submitting to those same authorities and laws. But to whisper otherwise would indicate an unacceptable level of “Islamophobia” that could get you arrested or banned from the country.
“Code of conduct drawn up for UK madrasas,” by Patrick Wintour, the Guardian, May 18, 2014 (thanks to Blazing Cat Fur):
A voluntary code of conduct to regulate teaching in madrasas in Britain is due to be announced next month by the education secretary, Michael Gove.
Over the past decade, ministers from all parties have expressed unease at the inability to regulate teaching in the schools, which offer supplementary education outside of mainstream schooling. But they have held back partly due to the amount of regulation that would be required.
The plans have emerged as an Ofsted inquiry continues into claims of an attempt by Islamist extremists to take over as many as 21 schools in Birmingham, a charge that is strongly rejected by many in Birmingham. Gove has appointed Peter Clarke, the former head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, to lead a Department for Education inquiry, one of four investigations being carried out.
The Labour MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, Khalid Mahmood, has argued for at least six years that stricter regulations are needed to protect children in privately run madrasas.
The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board already promotes good governance in mosques and imam training institutions through a process of voluntary self-regulation, and the charity claims to have over 600 members.
There are as many as 2,000 madrasas known to local authorities in the UK and whose staff have undergone all the checks required to teach children in a safe and secure environment.
The proposed code would require madrasas to ensure that teachers are vetted by police, and that students are not subjected to corporal punishment. The schools would agree to adopt a syllabus that prevents fundamentalist teaching.
Madrasa has become a catch-all term for the teaching of Islam in schools linked to mosques or in private houses. A Whitehall official said madrasas would be offered official recognition if they agreed to sign up to the new code.
“The code will make sure that all teachers are CRB [Criminal Records Bureau] checked, and that no corporal punishment is dealt out,” the official said. “The schools may also be required to teach a standard syllabus, because right now they can teach whatever they want. The syllabus will be supportive of the government’s preventing-extremism strategy, so there will be no fundamentalist teaching.
“The incentive for the supplementary schools is that the DfE [Department for Education] will consider publishing their names on its website to give them a bit of prestige and differentiate them from the unregistered schools.”
The former children’s minister Tim Loughton had opposed further regulation, saying that to focus only on madrasas would appear discriminatory and could reinforce unhelpful stereotypes.
Ofsted is expected to publish its Birmingham inspection reports next month. It is understood that at least six of the 21 schools will be put into special measures that could lead to the removal of headteachers and governors.
Last week, Park View, the school at the centre of the controversy, issued a lengthy statement condemning the “entirely fictional” allegations made against it. It said the flurry of accusations had created a backdrop for the settling of political scores by disgruntled former staff.
There have been claims that some former teachers will not air their concerns due to gagging clauses imposed on them.
Gove is understood to be examining plans when Ofsted reports in June to remove several schools found to be failing from the control of the Labour-controlled council.
Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, blamed the crisis in Birmingham on the coalition’s support for academies and free schools. “Michael Gove is trying to pass the buck,” he said. “His record of allowing underperformance to go unchecked means … 1.5 million children are not receiving the standard of schooling we expect.”
mortimer says
Madrassahs teach supremacism and misogyny.
How can a school like this be tolerated in a pluralistic, democratic country? It can’t be tolerated.
Independent schools must be required to teach the same curriculum as all get. Any supremacism or misogyny should be penalized…the problem, of course, being that supremacism and misogyny are TAUGHT IN THE KORAN AND HADITHS.
Islam is not compatible with an egalitarian and pluralistic country.
Wellington says
Still rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic after it hit that damn iceberg.
dumbledoresarmy says
If one permits a Muslim school teaching the Quran, Sira and Hadith one might as well permit neonazis to open schools in which all pupils K-12 could learn to revere the memory and admire and imitate the example of Herr Hitler and learn by heart long passages from Mein Kampf.
john spielman says
they already HAVE PERMITTED “neonazis” to open schools- what do these Islamic schools teach? It’s not arts science and mathematics
Islam IS FASCISM, just as odious and vile as the NAZI SS theology- mass murder, rape, theft is all permitted as this behavior is codified by the qur’an and hadiths of Muhammed!
Jay Boo says
madrasas
Where young boys learn how to grow scraggly beards and wear their flowing man-dresses.
ManchesterLad says
As Pat Condell said (I paraphrase):
Madrassas, schools where they teach only about Islam, and consequently they are unique amongst schools in that the children come out more ignorant than they go in”.
john spielman says
but far more fit for HELL than when they went in!
ECAW says
I think this is unfair on Michael Gove. He knows about “Islamism” as shown by his book (unfortunately though he believes that Islamism is separable from Islam):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celsius-7-Michael-Gove/dp/0297851462/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394877436&sr=1-1&keywords=gove+celcius
I think he is moving in the right direction as fast as political conditons in Britain allow. Who else would have appointed an ex security man rather than an educationalist to investigate the Trojan horse affair?
Mirren10 says
”I think this is unfair on Michael Gove. … I think he is moving in the right direction as fast as political conditons in Britain allow. ”
I don’t agree.
If Gove was really sincere, there would have been none of this ‘voluntary’ nonsense. It’s just lipstick on a pig.
Fitz says
An example of what the childrens’ minds will be filled with:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-pO-wXwIuM
bill says
The former children’s minister Tim Loughton had opposed further regulation, saying that to focus only on madrasas would appear discriminatory and could reinforce unhelpful stereotypes.
The Islamists themselves are reinforcing unhelpful stereotypes. It is not as though the state schools are teaching kids to believe in an alien system of law.
There should only be one system of education which every child should be subjected to.
mark says
They will be too politically correct and scared to enforce this code. Muslim encroachment continues….
gravenimage says
UK: Education secretary to announce voluntary code of conduct to regulate teaching in madrasas
…………………….
Yeah—*that’ll* work. What fools these dhimmis be!