In recent weeks, the place of Muslim schools in the United Kingdom hascome under intense scrutiny. First a public row broke out betweencommunities secretary Ruth Kelly and Trevor Phillips, chair of theCommission for Racial Equality, after Kelly claimed Muslim schools wereisolationist (Children Now, 6-12 September). Then, just days later,police raided the Jameah Islamiyah school near Crowborough in EastSussex as part of an investigation into suspected Islamist terrorplots.
The Government says Kelly's remarks merely aimed to encourage "honestdebate about integration and cohesion", and the National Secular Societysays her criticisms are valid, arguing that Muslim schools are"isolationist by nature".
"They are divisive and prevent children from mixing with othercultures," says a spokesman for the society. "Muslim parents pick theseschools because they don't want them to have a Western education. Theywant an Islamic education, they want boys and girls segregated andparents want girls to wear veils whether they want to or not."
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