Saturday, July 25, 2015

Muslim faith school in Yorkshire given 'good' rating by Ofsted – despite BANNING pupils from meeting 'outsiders' or watching TV

  • Institute of Islamic Education rated as 'good' by Ofsted in latest inspection
  • This is despite it banning pupils from watching TV or reading newspapers
  • Documents given to parents said pupils meeting outsiders 'will be expelled'
  • Comes as the PM called for greater integration to stamp out extremism
A Muslim faith school in Yorkshire was given a 'good' rating by Ofsted despite banning its pupils from socialising with 'outsiders'. 

The Institute of Islamic Education is housed in Dewsbury's Markazi Mosque compound and run by the Tablighi Jamaat sect, which imposes a strict Sharia code on pupils.

Pupils at the school are banned from watching television, listening to the radio or reading newspapers. They are also being taught to avoid speaking to the media.

Despite that, the education watchdog gave the school a 'good' rating in its latest inspection and explained how pupils are 'dedicated to their Islamic studies'. 

The Institute of Islamic Education is housed in Dewsbury's Markazi Mosque compound and run by the Tablighi Jamaat sect, which imposes a strict Sharia code on pupils
The Institute of Islamic Education is housed in Dewsbury's Markazi Mosque compound and run by the Tablighi Jamaat sect, which imposes a strict Sharia code on pupils

The school has no website, but Sky News obtained copies of documents given to parents which said pupils 'socialising with outsiders...will be expelled if there is no improvement after cautioning.'

The school's Pupil and Parent Handbook contains a Sharia section which lists 'Items that are prohibited in Islam...such as portable televisions, cameras, etc'

It says boarders are also banned from wearing un-Islamic garments and using music players or mobile phones at any time. 

Mosque elder Shabbir Daji, chairman of the school's governing shura, told Sky News the school 'works for unity'. 

He added: 'Our policy is to keep away from the media'.

MUSLIM-ONLY SCHOOL IN  THE HEART OF WEST YORKSHIRE

The Institute of Islamic Education is situated close to the centre of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
It provides full-time education for boys between the ages of 12 and 16 years in Islamic studies. All students are Muslims. 
The aim of the Institute is to train Imams and, or ustaads (Islamic studies teachers) and scholars in order to benefit the communities to which they return. 
Most students stay on after the age of 16 years to complete the alim (Islamic Studies) course and the hifz course (memorisation of the Qur'an), graduating after seven to nine years.
Tablighi Jamaat (who run the school) and the Dewsbury Markaz has been accused of promoting extremist Islamism and having links with Islamic terrorism in Britain. 
Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, two of the July 7 2005 London bombers, are reported to have attended prayers at the mosque. Both the allegation of extremism and specific claims that Sidique Khan or Tanweer visited the mosque are denied by its leaders.
In 2006 the Institute of Islamic Education was criticised by Ofsted for an 'over-emphasis' on religious study to the neglect of the secular curriculum, leading to poor exam performance.
Despite the restrictions placed on pupils, inspectors rated the school as 'good' across the board with the behaviour of pupils 'outstanding'.

It explained how the 'spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is a strength of the Institute' and how it 'enables pupils to cater for the changing needs of British Muslims and the wider community'. 

Official inspection reports did admit there are 'no first-hand experiences to enable students to extended their empathy with differing cultural groups in society both at home and overseas' and highlighted a lack of school trips and formal sex education.  

In a statement, Ofsted said independent schools were not assessed on their teaching of British values when the Institute of Islamic Education was last inspected, in 2011. 

The education watchdog said: 'In April 2015 Ofsted introduced a new, tougher inspection framework in response to more demanding independent school standards, which include an emphasis on fundamental British values.' 

It comes as David Cameron made a speech this week calling for less segregation in society and raised concerns about some faith schools.

He said: 'It is right to look again more broadly at how we can move away from segregated schooling in our most divided communities. 

He added: 'Now we'll go further to incentivise schools in our most divided areas to provide a shared future for our children, whether by sharing the same site and facilities; 

by more integrated teaching across sites; or by supporting the creation of new integrated free schools in the most segregated areas.'  

The Prime Minister promised a counter-extremism bill in the autumn to tackle what he described as 'intolerant ideas which create a climate in which extremists can flourish'. 


No comments: