Islamophobic acts on rise in UK schools: Campaigners

Rasa - British campaigners say Muslim students across the UK are suffering a backlash of abuse amid rising Islamophobic sentiments in schools following the recent wave of terrorist attacks in the French capital, Paris.

News ID: 2049

Date: 25 January 2015 - 07:26

RNA - In a report published by The Independent on Friday, the campaigners said Muslim students are increasingly being targeted by fellow schoolmates and the government is failing to tackle the problem.

According to the British charity monitoring anti-Muslim hate crimes, Tell MAMA, there has been a “significant” rise in incidents in British schools, with both parents and teachers reporting verbal and physical attacks against Muslim students in the wake of the terrorist assaults in Paris earlier this month that killed 17 people.

On January 7, two gunmen attacked the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo magazine, killing 12 people. In a separate incident another gunman killed a police officer and then attacked supermarket in the capital, killing four hostages. All assailants were slain by police.

The charity has registered 112 cases of physical and verbal violence against Muslim students since the Paris attacks took place on January 7 to 9.

“We are seeing more incidents of radicalized language and bullying against Muslim children in schools and it has led to a significant number of incidents following the events in Paris,” said Fiyaz Mughal, chief executive of Tell MAMA.

Mughal accused the government of failing to deal with the problem of anti-Muslim sentiments, saying his charity has repeatedly tried, prior to the attacks, to seek support from the Department for Education (DfE) in offering training on how to deal with Islamophobia.

In addition, teachers’ unions and anti-racism groups said they have seen a rise in anti-Muslim incidents in schools, with the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) saying the increasing Islamophobic sentiments are causing “uncertainty and fear” in schools.

The NASUWT also said anti-Muslims sentiment in wider society was a growing problem for schools and the issue is needed to be treated as a “priority.”

The DfE responded to the criticism by admitting that it did not provide specific advice on Islamophobia. The department added that it does not accept any kind of bullying at schools.

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