This afternoon's trip was to the London Central Mosque as part of the Politics and Culture in 20th Century Europe course. Our guide introduced us to the central tenets of Islam, allowed us to witness late afternoon prayers, and answered all our questions.
I could go on and on about the history of Islam or the role of Islam in Europe, but I won't. There was one thing Omar said towards the end of our visit that really rang a bell. He said he thought it was easier to be a practicing Muslim in Britain than in most other European countries. He specifically mentioned the secularism laws in France that prohibit the overt display of religious symbols (Christian crosses, Jewish Stars of David or yarmulkes, Islamic headscarves) in public schools. There is a long history to this secularism, whose roots can be found in the Enlightenment and the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789. In 1905, a law officially separated church and state and granted religious freedom in the predominantly Catholic country. Religious education and symbols were banned from public schools. In 2004, based on arguments of equality (among other things) a law was passed that outlawed the wearing of head scarves in schools.
There are about five million Muslims in France (NYT, 9/30/2008), which is the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. (We learned today that there are about 2 million Muslims in the UK.) There are only 4 private Muslim schools in France; therefore, many Muslim girls are starting to attend private Catholic schools, which allow girls to wear the scarves and demonstrate religious toleration.
There are pros and cons to the secularism...what do you think???
1 comment:
The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos.Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won't feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith.
Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities. There is a belief among ethnic minority parens that the British schooling does not adequatly address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response.
State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of of studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Muslims have the right to educate their children in an environment that suits their culture. This notion of "integration", actually means "assimilation", by which people generally really mean "be more like me". That is not multiculturalism. In Sydney, Muslims were refused to build a Muslim school, because of a protest by the residents. Yet a year later, permission was given for the building of a Catholic school and no protests from the residents. This clrearly shows the blatant hypocrisy, double standards and racism. Christians oppose Muslim schools in western countries yet build their own religious schools.
British schooling and the British society is the home of institutional racism. The result is that Muslim children are unable to develop
self-confidence and self-esteem, therefore, majority of them leave schools with low grades. Racism is deeply rooted in British society. Every native child is born with a gene or virus of racism, therefore, no law could change the attitudes of racism towards those who are different. It is not only the common man, even member of the royal family is involved in racism. The father of a Pakistani office cadet who was called a "Paki" by Prince Harry
has profoundly condemned his actions. He had felt proud when he met the Queen and the Prince of Wales at his son's passing out parade at Sandhurst in 2006 but now felt upset after learning about the Prince's comments. Queen Victoria invited an Imam from India to teach her Urdu language. He was highly respected by the Queen but other members of the royal family had no respect for him. He was forced to go back to India. His protrait is still in one of the royal places.
There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
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