Have Islamist schools in Birmingham, UK infiltrated? An examination of the government shows how the school day is influenced by conservative Muslims, from swimming lessons to the nativity play. The schools contradict the allegations.

It started with an anonymous letter. “Islamists” are going to infiltrate schools in Birmingham and to make the lessons according to their faith, it said in a letter, which was leaked in February British media. The alleged strategy of the Group has been explained in detail. Even a name have the conspiracy: “Operation Trojan Horse.”

The letter was later exposed as fake. And yet He caused a scandal that occupied the British media for months. Eventually, the charges for outsiders were just difficult to understand. An examination of the school supervisory authority Ofsted now comes to the conclusion: Conservative Muslims have actually taken in some schools impact on school life. But evidence of extremist activities are missing.

The dubious letter had startled the British Ministry of Education. It ordered the investigation, the results have now been presented. Inspectors visited in the spring of 21 urban schools with predominantly Muslim pupils, talked with teachers, parents and children.

Ofsted chief Michael Wilshaw described the findings of its inspectors as shocking. In some schools there is a “culture of fear and intimidation,” he said at the launch of the final report on Monday. Five schools were deemed insufficient and placed under special observation. Although the performance of the students are good, would in these schools represented “to close values,” Wilshaw said. This made the children “vulnerable to the elimination of the society.”

Islam in Schools UK:Examiner went to the Rhine Muslim schools

Inspectors find that there had been an “organized campaign” to occupy parents bodies. However, they found no evidence of extremism. Conservative Muslims have practiced as a parent representative “undue influence” on the school system, is the core allegation. So there was opposition to the common swimming lessons for girls and boys – or against Jesus doll in the Christmas nativity play. Teachers were afraid to defend themselves against such claims, Wilshaw said.

The sharpest criticism reaped the Oldknow Academy, a primary school, which is attended 99 percent of Muslims. Although officially a secular state school, she has become “increasingly Islamic in its vision, ethos and everyday life,” judged the auditor of the Ministry of Education. The Christian Assembly, which is mandatory in every English school, was replaced by an Islamic one. School plays at Easter and Christmas were abolished.

Noon echoes through the speakers in the schoolyard, the Islamic call to prayer. For three years, a school trip to Mecca and Medina is offered – officially marketed as a Foreign Language, but the auditor believes in truth, a “journey of faith”. In biology class, a teacher should have said he did not believe in evolution. In a math class listed the inspectors that the boys at the front and the girls sat back in the room. The math teacher refused on top of that, the inspector to shake hands, because she was a woman.

The judgment of the auditor falls significantly: A small group of parent representatives have prevailed at this school their “narrow religious ideology.” The reason students are not adequately prepared for life in a multicultural, tolerant Britain. Similarly, were the allegations in the other schools: The parents directors interfered too much and marginalized non-Muslims. The students would not be sufficiently aware of the risks of radicalization.

The Conservative Education Secretary Michael Gove announced in the House of consequences: Starting next school year, “British values” would be mandatory taught in all schools. Also, it will in future give regular unannounced inspections.

Islam in Schools UK:”Bizarre questions”

The schools concerned, the allegations sharp. The inspectors were “come to our schools, to search for extremism,” said David Hughes, Deputy Chief of Parkview Trust, which manages three of the offending schools. He announced legal action against the government.

Many teachers and students recognized their schools in the study did not report back and threw the visitors a political agenda before. The inspectors were treated like criminal suspects, wrote Lee Donaghy, vice-principal of Park View Academy, in the “Guardian”. They had arrived with “bizarre questions.” A colleague she had asked directly if he was homophobic. And by the students they would want to know if they had forced her to wear her headscarf.

The school support students pragmatically in the exercise of their faith, wrote to the vice-principal. So they could pray during a lunch break or go during the month of Ramadan home early. With extremism that have nothing to do.

In fact, it says the “Guardian” in his editorial, you know, these discussions of other religiously colored schools of Orthodox Jewish and radically Christian example. Again, there is always controversy over science to sex education and gender segregation.

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