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Compulsory
Christian Collective Worship and Christian Religious Education (RE) in UK
Schools.
WHAT CAN MUSLIMS DO?
by Ghulam Sarwar
Introduction
Muslims form the largest religious minority in the UK and are confronted
by many problems of which the maintenance, development and adherence to
their faith is the most important. The influence of the Western culture and
civilisation in daily life, however, undermines the maintenance and
development of Islamic identity. This effects the education of the young
generation of Muslims who are born and brought up here.
From August 1989 all County Schools in England and Wales must hold daily
Christian Worship (Assembly) and provide Christian religious education
according to Sec.6(1) and Sec.7(1) of the Education reform act,1988. This
means that all Muslim children in County Schools must now attend Christian
worship and Christian religious education (RE) unless their parents write to
their headteacher stating "I do not wish my child to attend
Christian collective worship and Christian RE"
Parents can no longer ignore what happens to their children at school.
The Act requires parents to be more involved in the education of their
children and provides a number of ways in which they can influence the
status, policy and direction of schools. It is vital for Muslim parents to
take an active interest in their children's education.
What must Muslim parents do?
Know their rights and responsibilities under the new Act;
Meet other parents and teachers, to find out how the Act is effecting the
education of their children;
Take an active role in the election of the governing bodies of their
children's schools by getting representation on such boards;
Find out about Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education
(SACREs)
and get competent Muslim representation on them;
Form Muslim parents associations for local schools and participate in
meetings concerning the education in their area;
Liase with organisations like the Muslim Education Trust (MET), the
Islamia Schools Trust (IST), the Islamic Cultural Center (ICC) London, the
Council of Mosques UK and Eire, the Islamic Academy Cambridge, and other
local and national bodies for guidance and better cooperation.
The next Question is, what can we do to protect children from the effects
of compulsory Christian Assembly and RE?, The Options are:
Option One : Do Nothing
One option, of course, is to do nothing and allow Muslim children to join
in Christian worship and Christian RE. They would pray to Jesus as the 'son
of God', learn about the 'Trinity', as well as pollute and
confuse your children's minds you would allow them to commit the awesome
sin of Shirk, associating others with Allah. This is the worst thing a
Muslim can do.
Option Two : Withdraw your Child
Section 25(4) of the Education Act, 1944 gives the right to a parent to
withdraw his/her child from both collective worship and RE. This right
remains unchanged in the 1988 Act. To arrange this withdrawal, all you have
to do is to write to the headteacher of your child's school asking that your
child be excused from Christian worship and Christian RE ( a sample letter
included in Appendix).
All Muslim parents should send this letter to the headteachers of their
children's schools. This is the minimum you need to do as a Muslim parent.
The headteachers are required by law to agree to this request. The writing
of this letter will at least safeguard your child from worshipping as a
Christian and receiving Christian RE. However, it creates other problems,
such as what your child is supposed to do during Christian worship and
Christian RE. Are there any provisions in the Act for alternative collective
worship and RE?
Option Three : Islamic Assembly at the LEA's expense
and alternative RE
YES ! There are provisions in the Education Reform Act about both
alternative collective worship and alternative RE. Section 7(3,4,5 and 6) of
the Act provides for alternative arrangements for collective worship.
Alternative Collective Worship (Islamic Assembly)
In those schools where Muslim children are in a clear majority
(majority
does not necessarily have to involve the whole school, but may be a class or
section of the school), Muslim parents should go to the headteacher and
demonstrate that the compulsory Christian daily worship will be wholly 'inappropriate'
under Sec.7(5 and 6) of the Act and ask him/her to arrange Islamic
Collective worship (Islamic Assembly) in the school. Headteachers are
required to consult parents about this.
The headteacher will have to consult the governing body of the school and
refer the matter to the local SACRE (sec.12 (1)...(10). Every LEA is now
legally obliged to establish a SACRE (sec.11 of the Education Reform
Act,1988).
As per Sec.11 (4) of this Act the SACRE will consist of four groups
representing :
- Christian/other religions which, in the opinion of the authority, reflect
the principal religious tradition in the area;
- Except in the case of an area in Wales, the Church of England;
- Associations representing teachers as, in the opinion of the authority,
ought, having regard to the circumstances of the area.
- The Education Authority.
-
Muslims must make sure that they will be represented in the third group
mentioned. It is the SACRE which will approve the request made by the
headteacher of a school. If the headteacher of a predominantly Muslim school
gets the approval of the SACRE to organise an alternative Islamic Assembly,
he/she will have to get the services of a competent person to conduct the
collective worship, bearing in mind the ages and aptitude of the children.
He/she may call upon a Muslim member of his/her staff to do this or he/she
may invite a suitably qualified person from outside the school such as an
Imam of a local Mosque to conduct the collective worship. The LEA, by
legal implication, is required to bear the cost of alternative collective
worship.
Alternative RE (Islamic RE)
The Act does not provide for alternative RE in the same way as for
Collective Worship (assembly). Nevertheless, alternative RE or Islamic RE
can be organised in a school with majority Muslim pupils by parents
exercising their right of withdrawal. (Sec.9(3)(b)(c) of the 1988 Act). The
Muslim parents of such schools should ask the headteachers to arrange for
suitably qualified teachers to organise Islamic RE. As the majority of
pupils in the school would be involved, the LEAs should bear the cost of
such RE. If the LEAs do not take on this responsibility the community will
have to arrange for the funding of Islamic RE.
Option Four : Islamic Assembly and RE at the
Community's expense
Collective Worship
Where Muslims are in the minority, Muslim parents will have to withdraw
their children from Christian collective worship and ask the headteacher to
provide them with a time and place to hold their own assemblies. Parents may
arrange with the headteacher directly, or through the LEA, to send in a
suitably competent person to these schools to conduct Islamic collective
worship. Neither the school, nor the LEA, is obliged to bear the cost which
has to be arranged by the Muslim community.
Religious Education
Withdrawal from religious education lessons in those schools where
Muslim children are in the minority can be difficult. Yet, because of the
compulsory Christian RE, Muslim parents have no choice but to write to the
headteacher asking for withdrawal. In these schools, the Muslim parents can,
by arrangement with the headteacher or the LEA, send in a competent person
to teach Islamic RE as has been described above. Alternatively, Muslim
parents can ask the headteacher to exempt their children from attending
Christian RE and allow them to study suitable books; for example, 'Islam
: beliefs and Teachings' (Secondary Schools) and 'Islam for younger
people' (Primary schools), both of which have worksheets in them. This
can be done in a classroom or in the library of the school. Even if there
are only one or two Muslim children in a school, the Muslim parent should
exercise his/her rights of withdrawal.
Appendix 1
ADDRESS ..................................
Date ................
The Head Teacher.,
...........School,
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to inform you that I wish to withdraw my
child (ren).............
from Christian Collective Worship and Christian RE as per Section 25 (4) of
the 1944 Education Act.
Yours Faithfully,
.................................
(Parent/Guardian)
To succeed in obtaining rights, all Muslim parents should,
from now on :
- Keep in close contact with the school, in order to be informed of
what is happening in the school;
- Make effective efforts to get competent representatives on the
SACRE;
- Attend governing body meetings as observers (a legal right)
- Prepare themselves for the next governing body elections and seek
to get appointed by election or co-option as a member;
- Maintain a close contact with the local MPs and elected
Councillors;
- Liaise and coordinate with the local Mosques and other Muslim
organisations in their area.
A list of Demands to be submitted to LEA's
The following is a list of demands which the Muslim community of different
areas may submit to their Local Education Authority (LEA) for necessary action :
- Headteachers of schools should be asked to arrange Islamic assembly and
Islamic RE where Muslim children are in the majority with the approval of
the local SACRE. In those schools where there is a sizeable number of Muslim
pupils, a Muslim teacher should be allowed to take Islamic lessons at least
twice per week during the school assembly and such teachers be allowed to
take registration of the Muslim pupils to ensure that time for the Muslim
assembly is not less than half an hour.
- Headteachers should be asked to ensure that the information booklets for
parents should contain all information relevant to their children (including
the right of withdrawal, school meals, holidays, changing and showering and
sportswear). These booklets should be translated into the appropriate
languages when necessary (section 6 of 1980 Education Act).
- The LEAs should ensure that authentic and reliable books on Islam
are used in schools and stocked in school and the local libraries (a list of
books on Islam in English should be supplied to the LEAs, schools concerned
and the libraries).
- Headteachers should be asked to allow Muslim girls of secondary school age
to wear trousers and blouse with pinafore (or Shalwar and Qamis) matching
the colour of the school uniform. They should also allow Muslim girls to
wear sportswear compatible with their religious requirements.
- Prayers facilities must be provided in the schools with Muslim children.
Headteachers should ensure there is adequate washing (wudu) facility with a
prayer room within nearby.
- Headteachers should also be asked to arrange separate accommodation for
changing and allow Muslim children to wear swimming costumes while
showering.
- Headteachers should be asked to bear in mind the dietary regulations of
Muslims and make these known to the school kitchen staff to ensure that
halal food is available to Muslim children. LEAs having a substantial number
of Muslim pupils should look into the possibility of providing halal meat
for school meals.
- Headteachers should allow Muslim pupils to be excused from dance, drama,
music and sex education lessons when a request is made to them by the Muslim
parents.
- Headteachers should be asked to allow Muslim children to absent on the
days of their religious festivals, eg. Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Adha (Sec.39(b)
of the 1944 Education Act).
- LEAs should keep as many single-sex schools as possible opened to meet the
requirements of the Muslims of their area.
- LEAs should ask schools to arrange for GCSE and 'A' level examinations in
Islam for Muslim pupils who may opt for it.
- LEAs should appoint Muslim teachers and other staff in those schools which
have a substantial number of Muslim pupils.
- LEAs should ensure that the Muslims are represented in their decision
making process and actively co-ordinate with the representatives of the
Muslims on matters relating to them.
- Headteachers should be asked to allow Muslim pupils to form a Muslim club
on a request from the pupils.
- LEAs should encourage and subsidize the activities of the Muslim
organisations concerning advice, youth forums, Qur'an and Arabic teaching,
sports activities and the like.
- LEAs should arrange for the training of Muslim teachers in the teachers'
training colleges to produce trained teachers for teaching Islam.
Based on the pamphlet by Ghulam Sarwar, Muslim Educational
Trust 130 Stroud Green Road, LONDON N4 3RZ
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