Islamic fundamentalism promoted on websites at some Muslim schools

Daily Telegraph'sTom Whitehead, reports on20 Feb 2009

'.....warns the messages are threatening social cohesion and could fuel
"ghettoization" and segregation. A site linked to one primary school
said playing Monopoly or chess was forbidden and likened the latter to
"one who dips his hands in the blood of swine". Another warned children
in Britain were being exposed to a culture that was against everything
Islam stands for, while a third school's website had electronic links to
alleged extremist sites. Others had links to other sites or chatrooms
that contain fundamental views such as forbidding the playing of cricket
or even reading of Harry Potter books. Many of the messages, sites or
links mentioned in the report have since been taken down, but the
Department for Children, Schools and Families last night said it would
investigate the allegations it contained. Representatives of Muslim
schools angrily dismissed the study, labelling it "misleading,
intolerant and divisive", but the report will reignite the debate over
the growth of religious schools in the country. In a foreword to Music,
Chess and other Sins, Civitas director David Green said: "The schools
that give cause for concern are being run by religious fundamentalists.
"Their aim is to capture the next generation of Muslims for
fundamentalism and to turn children away, not only from Western
influence, but also from liberal and secular Muslims, whom they despise
perhaps with greater vehemence than non-Muslims." The report said there
are around 166 Muslim schools in the UK, which are a mixture or private
or state funded, as well as around 700 part-time madrasas. But it found
some were promoting anti-Western views actively on their website. The
Madani Secondary Girls' School in East London said on its website: "Our
children are exposed to a culture that is in opposition with almost
everything Islam stands for." The school was unavailable for comment but
the sentence has since been removed from the site. The Feversham College
in Bradford had links on its website for two other sites, one of which
allegedly advocated jihad. A spokeswoman for the college said the two
links have now been removed and insisted the college was "unequivocally
committed to community cohesion and promoting strong responsible
citizenship". "Our website pages have for some time had links with other
sites which are generally informative," she said. "It has been brought
to our attention that some of the content now on two of those sites
could be misinterpreted. We have therefore reviewed the position and
have removed any links to those websites." A third school, a primary,
had links with a site which said games such as Ludo, Monopoly, draughts
and chess should be forbidden. The site added: "The Holy Prophet stated
the person who plays chess is like one who dips his hands in the blood
of a swine (pig)." The site was not working last night and the school
was unavailable for comment.
The report also found evidence of sites saying a woman who is raped is
"jointly responsible" for the crime, that women should remain at home
rather than study or that the greatest form of veiling for a woman was
to stay indoors and keep herself hidden."'

In one respect I have some sympathy with the Muslims. To adapt their words, ' "Our
children are exposed to a culture that is in opposition with almost
everything Christianity stands for." This is the case in state schools. So I favour cChristian schools but want the Muslims ones rigourously inspected to see they teach the national curriculum not Islamism.