The government’s intention to intensify its campaign against so-called “extremism” in schools is a direct assault on the Muslim community, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has said.
Last week Education Secretary Nicky Morgan revealed that her department will expand the role of “counter-extremism” in schools.
The increased focus on extremism follows multiple inquiries into the so-called “Trojan Horse” affair revolving around an alleged plot by “Muslim extremists” to take over 21 Birmingham inner city schools.
None of the inquiries found hard evidence of any such plot and the disproportionate attention it drew was largely put down to a personal Islamophobic agenda being pursued by then education secretary Michael Gove. As a result of the allegations other Muslim schools around the country were also investigated, again without conclusive results.
The IHRC said in the light of the recent witch-hunt against Muslim run schools it views any further ratcheting up of counter-extremism actions as an attempt to prevent Muslims from exercising their democratic right to teach children in accordance with their own values.
The organisation added that it is also evident from the preponderance of Muslim run schools under scrutiny that the government is not focusing on all forms of extremism but singling out the Muslim community as a locus of extremism.
IHRC Massoud Shadjareh said: “What is blindingly obvious is that this witch-hunt is being unleashed on the Muslim community without any evidence or any definition of what constitutes extremism. It is another McCarthyist policy which will further demonise and criminalise the whole Muslim community.”
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Counter-extremism
In a statement on the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham last week, Mrs Morgan said her department would expand the role of “counter-extremism” in schools.”We will not tolerate extremism of any kind,” Mrs Morgan told MPs.
She said that schools failed by Ofsted now had different leadership, including being run by different academy trusts.
In the wake of the Trojan Horse scandal, ministers announced the need for schools to promote “British values”. But this has proved controversial, with recent claims, including from Christian schools, that it was resulting in unintended consequences.
There have been complaints that Ofsted inspections have used the “British values” requirement in a way that is unreasonable.
But Mrs Morgan defended the principle of all schools having to promote such values, saying that these were the “values that bind us together” and should “unite rather than divide”.
