City LGBT protests ‘feeding far right’
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER CONDEMNS ‘MOSQUE WHISPERS’:
THE Birmingham LGBT school protests are feeding a far-right narrative that “somehow Muslims are different”, according to a top human rights lawyer.
Nazir Afzal also claims head teachers have been left alone to confront people resisting “hardwon equalities” at the school gates while ministers and faith leaders “whisper in secret” but do nothing.
Mr Afzal, says city primary schools such as Parkfield in Alum Rock and Anderton Park in Sparkhill have been “hung out to dry” because of a “deficit of local and national leadership”.
He also issued a direct challenge to city mosques and community leaders to “stop whispering in secret” and instead be up front about their views and solutions “so that we can have these discussions in the open.”
Mr Afzal said he was appalled that the LGBT education battle was continuing to dominate headlines “when people are dying and suffering harm because of other issues we are failing to talk about”.
An estimated 370 children were kept away from Parkfield Community Primary last Friday over moves to reinstate a modified version of the award-winning ‘No Outsiders’ equality teaching programme from September.
Birmingham City Council is seeking a permanent injunction seeking to ban protests at the gates of Anderton Park School, which has faced mass gatherings and a pupil withdrawal against its teaching around LGBT equality.
Mr Afzal – who has prosecuted more than 100 honour killing cases and brought the Rochdale child sex exploitation abusers and high profile paedophiles to justice – said he was frustrated that head teachers had remained isolated, despite lots of people and groups talking up their support.
“The Government has pussyfooted around the issue and said it is a local issue for headteachers – and this is where we have ended up as a result, with children kept off school. Most MPs and pretty much every faith leader in the city has said nothing or been unclear, leaving heads isolated.
“People are then manipulating the situation with misinformation and misunderstandings – sometimes with more malicious intent. This cannot be dealt with at a local
level – protesters will continue to just pick off schools and head teachers one at a time. The heads need more support.
“Consultation is not negotiation. They seem to think consultation is ‘you will give in’ – but it is not the Good Friday Agreement. Consultation means the school explains to you what they are doing and why, and then does it. That’s it.”
Likely tensions around the Equalities Act and different protected characteristics had been expected since 2010. But the Government has “pussyfooted around the issue and this is the outcome,” said Mr Afzal.
“Ministers need to be prescriptive and just come out and say what headteachers should do.
“We also need our local MPs and our faith leaders to speak up in public – not just in private or by whispering in people’s ears.
“I challenge them to come and talk to me in the open.”
He said it was infuriating that protesters were “feeding a far-right narrative that somehow Muslims are different, cannot integrate and cannot be part of a multicultural society.
“I do not believe that at all but sadly there are people who have always wanted to create this kind of hostility who will be gaining tremendous succour that these individuals are saying what they are saying.”
He added that many parents were afraid to speak up because of potential repercussions, or were under pressure to show support, or believed it was the responsibility of others to negotiate the issue.
“Well, it ain’t – it is yours, it is all of ours, or this discussion will be dominated by extreme voices.”
And he was unequivocal that the issues around RSE education were not about faith and Islam but rooted in cultural beliefs and tradition.
“There are people stuck in a vacuum, a time warp. But this is a diverse, multicultural society and their children need to have the skills to prepare for that world.”
He added: “Our community and faith leaders are whispering in people’s ears, encouraging them under the table and saying that this is the parents’ doing, nothing to do with us – but if that’s the case then we need to know their views publicly. At the moment they are feeding the fire and they need to speak up so we can have these discussions in public.”
Mr Afzar added that while attention focussed on this issue, much more profound problems among the south Asian population were going unreported and not discussed such as:
■ One in seven male prisoners is Muslim;
■ A massive issue around drug supply and importation;
■ Women are being discouraged from attaining educational qualifications;
■ South Asian women are three times more likely not to report domestic abuse;
■ South Asian women are three times more likely to kill themselves
■ Soaring rate of Islamaphobic hate crimes.
“So I would ask our community leaders in Birmingham: why are we focusing on LGBT education, where nobody is actually being hurt, rather than issues which are directly affecting our children’s potential – or where people are dying?
“This is a failure of leadership. Unless we prioritise, we will lose another generation.”
There are people stuck in a vacuum, a time warp...
Human rights lawyer
Nazir Afzal, above