Witch hunt against Muslims in Birmingham – Get racist Tories out of schools

A Tory clampdown on schools in Birmingham has unleashed a torrent of racist filth.

The government ordered investigations after an anonymous letter alleged a Muslim “plot” to take over schools. Right wing newspapers devoted pages to personal attacks on Muslim teachers and governors.

Reports released this week found no evidence of a plot. But the witch hunt isn’t over.

Doug Morgan, president of the NUT teachers’ union in Birmingham, spoke to Socialist Worker in a personal capacity. “None of this is about how staff have been treated or the curriculum,” he said.

“It isn’t about defending girls or gay people in schools. It’s about racism.”

Parent Gadija da Costa told Socialist Worker, “The word extremist is becoming synonymous with Muslim. This is broader than just schools. It’s becoming a human rights issue.”

Reports into a group of Birmingham schools were finally published on Monday of this week.

The Ofsted watchdog inspected 21 schools after an anonymous letter alleged a so-called “Trojan Horse” plot by Muslims to take them over.

The relentless racist hounding of Muslims that followed have caused fury and distress in the city. And Ofsted found no evidence of a “plot”.

Just five out of the 21 schools inspected were downgraded to “inadequate”—and even these ratings are being challenged.

Gadija da Costa is a parent of three children who went to Oldknow Academy, one of the schools deemed inadequate and put in special measures.

She told Socialist Worker, “We’ve been vilified and slated. We’ve been tarnished with the extremist brush just because we’re Muslim.

“This is being used to punish a whole community for having a faith.”

Shabina Bano has two daughters at Oldknow. “I’m absolutely irate about the headlines that have been written about us,” she told Socialist Worker.

“All this has come about from one hoax document. There’s no evidence. We feel like second class citizens.”

Oldknow has issued a rebuttal of numerous allegations made against the school.

One claimed that lessons were “segregated”.

The school pointed out that some boys were seated at the front in one class because they needed extra support.

Ofsted’s opinion of “segregation” seems to have changed recently.

In 2013 Ofsted rated Oldknow “outstanding”. It wrote, “The academy respects different faiths and cultures, for example, by ensuring there are separate changing rooms and single-sex physical education lessons.”

Now Ofsted chief sir Michael Wilshaw complains of governors opposing mixed-gender swimming lessons “on the basis of their own beliefs”.

He denounces governors’ “inappropriate influence”. Previously, “influential” governors were praised.

The 2013 Ofsted report into Oldknow didn’t mention the words radicalisation or extremism. The latest report has both on its front page.

Right wing papers screamed that schools “cancelled” Christmas.

“Nothing was cancelled,” said Shabina. “Last year the older children did a Christmas quiz and had a Christmas dinner. The younger children went to a neighbouring school to celebrate Christmas.”

Gadija added, “They went to visit a church in December.”

Parents reject the idea that girls aren’t given equal education. Shabina said girls “excel” at the school—and test results back this up.

Gadija said the attacks are political. “The Conservative Party wants to look like it’s being hard on immigrants—and we’re bearing the brunt of it.”

Reprinted with permission.