Danish politicians have lashed out at a decision by a school in Copenhagen to prohibit fathers of pupils from a parental meeting out of apparent respect for Muslim mothers. The incident has caused deep divisions between school and national leaders.
The Bispebjerg district’s Holberg School arranged a parents’ meeting to discuss the educational institute’s anti-bullying policy. However, the meeting at the proudly multi-cultural school was declared mothers-only, meaning that neither immigrant nor Danish fathers could attend discussions relating to their own children.
The Copenhagen Post reveals that the school invitation asked for mothers to attend and participate in a “debate about bullying that includes mother talk, yummy food, coffee and cake”. Mothers were also welcomed to bring their young children to the meeting with them as babysitting services were provided.
Soren Ellesoe, the school principal, claimed the initiative was aimed at reaching out to groups that usually shy away from parent-teacher meetings. “We have immigrant women parents in particular whose husbands believe that women should not take part in something if other men are present,” Ellesoe stated. His decision has been supported by Anders Bondo Christensen of the Danish Teachers’ Union. “If it’s to ensure that students get a safe and good school day without bullying then I respect the decision,” said Christensen.
Politicians have reacted strongly to the move, primarily the leader of the Socialist People’s Party Villy Sovndal who decried the notion that parental equality has been ignored due to “obdurate religious ideas”. While the Danish People’s party head Carl Christian Ebbeson called for Ellesoe to be sacked. ”We won’t allow immigrant men to set the agenda for how we hold meetings in our schools,” he said.
London School of Islamics is an educational Trust. Its aim is to make
British public, institutions and media aware of the needs and demands of the
Muslim community in the field of education and possible solutions.
The demand for state funded Muslim schools is in accordance with the law of
the land. Muslim community is not asking for any favour. Muslim community
pays all sorts of taxes and is contributing for the economic, social and
spiritual prosperity of the British society.
Bilingual Muslim Children need state funded muslim schools with bilingual
Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is
no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. It is
better to put your children in a toilet instead of in a state school. At
least if you put them in a toilet you can wash them after. If you put your
children into state schools, you are sending them to be indoctrinated with
the common views and beliefs of a society.Children are young and
impressionable. There is a danger that liberal, feminist, radicalist and
homosexual and lesbian teachers are implanting their values into children.
It is a well known fact that children tend to listen to their teachers
before their parents. There are hundreds of state and church schools where
Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be
designated as Muslim Community schools.
A Muslim is a citizen of this timy global village. He/she does not want to
become notoriously monolingual Brit. A Muslim needs to learn and be well
versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for
higher studies and research to serve humanity. At the same time, he/she
needs to learn and be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community
languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of
their literature and poetry.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
If I were a father at that school, I would write to my local authority and local newspaper asking why Islamic law was being introduced at my child’s school and could they recommend an alternative non-Islamic school.
to london school of islamics:
First of all: This is meant to be a commnetary space, and not an advertising one.
That´s the problem when you live in a country you don´t like. If you think the social values of the country you are living in are hostile to you, you would be better off moving out. I don´t think it is nice to fight them. You would become a non desired person.
Be clever and practical
“There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school”
I assume you also believe there is no place for Muslims, either children or teachers, in state schools. In many respects, your views seem similar to the British National Party – and they now accept non-whites…
Ifti: Then why move to UK in the first place and not stay in a muslimic country? There you would be safe from of all this “liberal, feminist, radicalist and homosexual and lesbian teachers”
I dont get this. Why should have the people living in a country to adopt, why not the immigrants? Its not that the people living in UK have forced you to stay in UK isn’t it?
As someone thats been raised with christian standards but not being religious I think that we should indeed not let our liberal countries turn back into pre-middle ages.
I would never tell you how to live in the country where your ancestors come from. Please dont tell europeans how we should live. We have been here for quiet some time and we like it (mostly) like it is.