Memorandum submitted by London School
of Islamics
Education is not for degrees and not for jobs. It
is for life. Degrees—and jobs—should come as a by-product.
Migrant Muslims are not economic slaves. They are part and parcel
of British society with their own cultures, languages and faith.
Migrant Muslims need to preserve and transmit their cultural,
linguistic and spiritual identities; otherwise, they will be lost
in the western jungle. Learning Arabic, Urdu and other community
languages do not deter people from integrating. It helps them
integrate. British schooling is at war with Migrant Muslims learning
Arabic, Urdu and other community languages.
Community cohesion has failed because—there
is a negative experience of mutual understanding and cooperation
between the hostile host community and Muslim community. According
to a French political sociologist, Muslims in Europe feel that
they are not welcome. Inspite of official initiative, a significant
minority see institutional racism across the board. Blatant racism
exists in parts of the world of work. Religious intolerance is
"the new racism" and one of the main causes of persecution
of minorities. Terrorism efforts and economic marginalisation
are increasingly being associated with religion, not ethnicity.
In my opinion, British schooling has been producing Muslim youths
with anger and frustration. According to a report, the majority
of Islamist terrorists in the UK are British born and educated
is under the age of 30, well educated and likely to be employed.
Most terrorism in Britain is committed by home-grown terrorists.
Britain's fight against terrorism has been a disaster. It has
alienated Muslim youths. The campaign has targeted non-violent
Muslims and branded them as supporters of violence. Britain remains
under severe risk from terror attacks. The government policy had
made the task of the police harder by alienating Muslim youths.
—Bilingualism can help pupils' all-round education
and should be encouraged. Children who know an "eastern"
as well as a "western" language are more academically
able than others. With the pace at which the world interacts today,
multi-lingualism is a step forward. Muslim community feels that
state schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers are not suitable
for bilingual Muslim children. The number of Muslim schools is
on the increase and I believe that by 2020 there will be more
than 500 Muslim schools. Muslim schools give young children self-confidence
and self-esteem in who they are and an understanding of Islamic
teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive
and fullfilling role in society. There are hundreds of state schools
where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such
schools may be opted out as Muslim Academies. Bilingual Muslim
children need bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during
their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim
monolingual teacher in a Muslim school.
The present structure of OFSTED is not in a position
to inspect Muslim schools properly. There is a dire need for bilingual
Muslim Inspectors for the inspection of Muslim schools. Non-Muslim
monolingual Inspectors are not in a position to inspect Muslim
schools with bilingual Muslim children. OFSTED should employ bilingual
Muslim inspectors for the inspection of Muslim schools who should
not only be well versed in English, Arabic, Urdu and other community
languages but also in sciences and humanities.
Bilingual Muslim children need to learn and be well
versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and
go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. The problem
is that they learn English in the streets and in the playgrounds.
British schooling does not teach English to migrant children.
The teachers let them speak the same accent in the classroom.
They have no courage to stop them or correct them. This is one
of the main reasons why—one third of children have difficulties
with reading when they leave primary schools. Majority of such
children are bilingual Muslims. They often speak "street"
with its own grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. In other European
countries and in the sub-continent argot and slang are not allowed
into the classrooms. In Britain primary school teachers do not
feel that it's role to interfere with self-expression in any shape
or form. They encourage children to read poems and stories written
in ethnic dialects. Bilingual Muslim teachers are in a better
position to teach English to their children.
August 2010
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