The ‘extremist’ schools we can’t close
Muslim colleges use the courts to defy ministers
FOUR Islamic schools ordered to close following fears over extremism or pupil safety continue to operate because the Government is powerless to shut them down, the Daily Mail can reveal.
One allegedly taught girls that men can beat their wives. Another distributed leaflets saying music is an ‘act of the devil’.
They could continue operating for months, if not years, after launching legal appeals against closure. The four fee-paying independent establishments include a girls’ boarding school, Jamia al-Hudaa in Nottingham, that was ordered to close last month after Ofsted found books in the library by individuals banned from entering Britain.
Ministers told the 237- pupil school it must close its boarding facilities immediately and stop accepting new pupils. But in a let- ter seen by the Mail, Jamia alHudaa defiantly told parents it will ‘take a stand’ against its closure and has launched a £300,000 appeal to fund its legal costs. Parents were told to ‘unite’ against the ‘biased and unfair’ Government.
One former student says she is disgusted that it can continue to operate, saying it was ‘like a prison’ where girls were isolated from the outside world. She says girls were taught they can be beaten and raped by their husbands, in order ‘to make Allah happy’ and that music is the voice of the devil.
A spokesman for the school claimed it is a victim of a ‘highly politicised agenda’ against Islamic schools across the UK.
Several Islamic schools were ordered to close by the Depart- ment for Education after a series of critical Ofsted reports. But the four appealed to the courts, which allows them to continue operating until a ruling is made.
At Darul Uloom in Birmingham, inspectors found a large number of leaflets ‘containing highly concerning and extremist views’. It remains open five years after concerns were first raised, when a preacher was filmed making racist remarks about Hindus and ranting that ‘disbelievers are the worst creatures’.
The school, which has more than 100 pupils, said it disputes the Ofsted reports and has criticised the conduct of inspectors.
At Darul Uloom in Leicester, a boys’ boarding school with nearly 150 pupils, inspectors found that ‘pupils hold stereotypical views on gender and careers’ and are not prepared for life in modern Britain. The school, which did not respond to a request to comment, has already received £176,000 from parents and other supporters in an online campaign to keep it open.
Jamia al-Hudaa boys’ boarding school in Sheffield was ordered to close after inspectors criticised its limited curriculum and unsafe facilities. It, too, did not respond to requests to comment.
Tory MP Philip Hollobone said: ‘Readers will be shocked that there is a loophole that allows these schools to carry on as if nothing has happened.’
His colleague Peter Bone called for emergency legislation to close the schools immediately while fellow Tory Andrew Bridgen said: ‘It is of great concern that schools which have been identified by Ofsted with such systemic failings are using our legal system to continue to “educate” children.’
The DfE confirmed the schools were taken off the register but closure is automatically lifted when an appeal is launched. It said: ‘Extremism has no place in our society and when we find schools promoting twisted ideologies or discrimination in classrooms, we will take action.’