Guiding Muslim Pupils Through the English Curriculum

In an IslamOnline.net Live Dialogue (interactive service) entitled Muslim Students in British State Schools, one questioner posed the need for Muslims to seriously seek alternative forms of education. The questioner expressed concern about schools

"Force-feeding" information to students, rather than creating an insatiable hunger for knowledge

Training our students toward mainly economic goals.

The hosted expert, Tahir Alam, chair of the Education Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said,

In Britain, second-generation Muslims who were educated in this country do realize this, and it is for this reason that we have had a large increase in the number of Muslim schools. Muslim schools have more than doubled from 60 to 150 schools in the past six years. The utilitarian model has gained domination at the expense of spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of children, in my view.

Unfortunately from an Islamic point of view there are many unhealthy influences within schools. Human beings have physical and metaphysical dimensions and any education that negates or diminishes the importance of either would make the education process necessarily deficient. Home schooling is not as popular in the UK as it is in the US.

Every Child Matters

The Every Child Matters agenda in the British school curriculum, the UK equivalent to the US No Child Left Behind Act, supposedly is inclusive of all students. Yet, the reaction of certain British schools to the hijab as part of school uniform demonstrated that not every child does matter. Although the controversy over the hijab reported was much in the press, what was less reported was the growing number of Muslim students who have been experiencing bullying in one form or another.

MCB Guide

Addressing the issue, the MCB put together the guide "Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools."

Within education, many schools in England, Scotland, and Wales have responded positively to issues related to cultural diversity and to meeting the needs of Muslim pupils. However, others have not been receptive of legitimate and reasonable requests made by Muslim parents and pupils in relation to their faith-based aspirations and concerns. Many of these issues relate to aspects of schooling such as collective worship, communal changing, swimming, halal meals, and sex education. (p.15)

Viewing the school as the facilitator of integration into the wider community, the guide addresses

• Modesty in dress from school uniform to sports
• The principles of halal food and the adab of eating
• Provisions for prayer
• The practices of Ramadan and Islamic festivities
• Religious education and the statutory right to withdraw
• Sex education and the statutory right to withdraw
• Modern foreign languages
• Expressive arts (music, drama, etc.)
• Islamic resources in the school library
• Educational visits
• Muslim names
• Shaking hands
• Raffle tickets
• Muslim participation in school governance and mosque education

The guide also provides a recommended reading list and useful websites to visit.

For educationalists, this guide provides a good opportunity to become acquainted with the needs of a section of their pupil population. However, given the sociopolitical climate, the guide received a mixed reaction, as explained by Tahir Alam:

The school guidance document was launched in this context so it received some negative coverage from the predictable 'unfriendly' media.

Fortunately, the negative media reaction has not curtailed the valuable work of MCB. Alam commented,

The document "Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools" is being used by many schools as a reference for understanding and meeting the needs of their Muslim pupils. The guidance collates the features of best practice from many different schools and provides background information and shares the best practice. We are in the process of distributing the document to schools, Muslim parents, etc. The education world has received the document well as it provides valuable information.

SACRE Guide

Since the MCB guide, Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education

Although this guide was written in consultation with Muslim members of SACRE, the guide puts emphasis on a family-specific approach, removing any assumption that all Muslim families are the same. From the school's point of view, the "if possible" phrase only serves to remind the school that essentially the matter at hand is up to them. The guide also acquaints the school staff with Islam and Muslims less than the MCB one does. The guide is summarized as follows.

Curriculum Issues

A lack of familiarity with the British education system, not to mention the English language … . Although negotiation about specifics is possible, limits with respect to the National Curriculum should be clearly established, as well as the fact that health and safety issues can never be compromised.

» Sex and relationship education. Sex and relationship education (SRE) lessons are not standard. That is, the Department of Education and Employment only offers guidelines (2000), but the details of the lesson are determined by schools. The guidelines cover the reproductive system, fetal development, adolescent emotional and physical development, human sexuality (for secondary schools), sexual health, learning how to avoid exploitation and abuse, contraceptives, avoiding unplanned pregnancies, importance of the family, and delaying sexual activity. However, if a young person's curiosity is aroused, it might be difficult to instill delaying sexual activity and learning about the importance of the family.

For those families that allow their children to attend SRE classes, when possible, students will be allocated a teacher according to their gender

Parents do have the legal right to withdraw their children from attending this subject.

However it does not state what the students will be doing if they do not attend.

» Art. This section covers acceptable forms of art, including calligraphy, textiles, ceramics, metal/wood work, landscapes, architecture, geometry, photography, and mosaic.

Muslim students should not be asked to color or reproduce images of any of the prophets.

» Music. The guide acknowledges that the relationship with music varies according to differing Muslim cultures, and it calls upon sensitivity to anything that contradicts religious beliefs, or promotes lust, seduction, or intoxicants.

» Dance. The guide acknowledges that there is no difficulty with it when the occasion takes place within a single-sexed environment.

» Drama. The concern here is for parents who do not want any form of drama that contradicts Islamic beliefs or involve physical contact with the opposite gender. The guide, however, also states that many Muslim pupils will want to participate, so maybe the parent is not an important factor here.

» Religious education. Christian belief is the essence of collective worship in schools, allowing for other acts of worship that reflect Christian beliefs. However, where there is a large multifaith school population, a school can refer to SACRE for dispensation. Where the school has a majority of Muslim pupil population, then an application can be made by the Muslim group for separate worship, the cost and resources of which must be provided by the group. In other words, the whole responsibility will be on the shoulders of the group, including arranging for a suitable person to lead the worship.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from any acts of worship, to which the school has to comply with an explanation and the headmaster has to clarify the following: the religious issues involved, the practical implications, and what can be accommodated.

However, the guide sways on the side of persuasion toward school collective worship.

» Islamic dress code. The guide gives a brief summary of the Islamic dress code for boys and girls. Pertaining to the hijab, the guide allows for the hijab, but in subjects, like practical science (laboratory class) and domestic science, the guide rightly states that hijab should be secure (i.e. not loose), by tucking the loose ends inside a laboratory coat (not that all schools have laboratory coats). Students are to be discouraged from wearing hijab that reaches the waist as they are a safety risk. The new uniform policy (March 20, 2007) places emphasis on eye contact between teacher and student, but the guide does not quite say that the niqab (face veil) cannot be worn.

» Sportswear. In brief, the guide recommends the tracksuit as the most suitable form of sportswear uniform for Muslim boys and girls. It should be accepted that Muslims will not participate in communal showers and that they should be allowed to shower when they get home in cases where there are no single shower cubicles, locations of which are listed in the guide). The guide acknowledges that "clothing should neither be transparent nor tight-fitting," but this is not reflected in recommendations for swimwear, that is, "swimming costumes with legs and sleeves made of lycra are allowed." The guide even goes as far as to recommend the burkini, which is not accepted by many Muslims because it shows the shape of the body. The only real concession here is that Muslim students can shower in their swimming costumes. There is no concession over mixed swimming, or the gender of the swimming attendant. The only concession suggested is for the holy month of Ramadan due to the practice of fasting.

» Religious symbols and jewelry. The guide points to health and safety issues regarding religious items, citing the case of a Roman Catholic girl who was not allowed to wear the crucifix. However, in terms of shape and design, the wearing of parts of the Qur'an on the body is hardly comparable, and maybe that is why the guide suggests that the pupil tape the item to their skin, instead of removing it.

» Attendance. Lack of attendance due to religious observance is not to be factored into the records of school attendance, but this observance is limited to the two `Eids plus three days for the school year. The guide encourages schools to plan those allowable days of worship with other major religious observances so that fewer children miss out of school activities. The only additional concession is given to Shiite Muslim pupils as regards the acts of worship and commemoration of `Ashuraa'.

» School Meals. A brief is given on the nature of non-halal meat, which is defined by a list of pork products and food prepared with alcohol. Concern is given to utensils used with non-halal food and then used to prepare halal food. A brief list of acceptable meals is given, with the name of the school catering that provides a halal option. The guide refers to Sikhs who will not eat halal meat, so the emphasis is placed on schools where there is a significant Muslim population.

The guide encourages the schools during Ramadan to give a packed lunch to Muslim pupils who are entitled to free school meals, so they can break their fast with an adequate meal when they get home.

Social school events are referred to where there may be fashion shows and wine served because by their nature, they exclude parents belonging to a faith.

» Prayer. "Of the five pillars of Islamic faith, the most likely to impinge on school life are the obligatory five daily prayers, and the dawn to sunset fast during the holy month of Ramadan," states the guide. Then it continues by stating that "Dhur, `Asr and Maghrib are all likely to occur during school hours." The guide goes on to suggest to schools to add 10 minutes at the beginning or the end of a lunch break to allow Muslim children to pray. The guide also recommends that a clean room be provided by schools where students could pray. All school staff should be informed of the arrangements, and advice and support should be sought from the local Muslim community, "e.g. in the absence of available staff, a Muslim parent might provide any necessary supervision." However, just as Christian practice differs from Christian to Christian, and denomination to denomination, so does Islamic practice among Muslims, so it would be less contentious if advice is sought from those in authority to give sound Islamic advice from an established mosque, like the London Central Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre at Regents Park.

» Ablution.The guide simply recommends a washbasin connected to running water, which "would suffice for this purpose." The guide does take into consideration how many Muslim pupils there are and how much time can be wasted waiting in a queue to do ablutions. This would definitely add to the 10 minutes allowed at the beginning or the end of a lunch break, if the school allows for these 10 minutes.

» Jumu`ah Prayer. A brief is given on the requirements of Jumu`ah Prayer (Friday Prayer). The Education Reform Act 1988 allows for students to leave school premises to receive religious education, which is not reflected under the heading "Religious Education." With a written request from the parents, parents may "take their child to the mosque for part of the afternoon." However, that time may be from the time given for school lunch, and parents have to make sure their children return straight after Jumu`ah Prayer. Schools with a significant Muslim population are advised not to schedule important classes during Jumu`ah Prayer.

What was not a problem under the Prayer section — when the guide recommended that schools provide a clean room for prayer — is now a problem. Although not stated, it might be because more Muslim children practice acts of worship during Ramadan, so there might be a space problem. In respond to space problem, more children may ask to go home to pray. Again, what was not a problem under Jumu`ah Prayer is viewed as a problem during Ramadan, but the reason for this is not so apparent. An additional concern here is that the guide states fasting as being obligatory on reaching puberty. As puberty age differs from one individual to another, and as children fast from the age of 9 years old, the concern for the "health and safety" of the pupil is not warranted when Almighty Allah does not ask a person for more than they can bear.

» School outings. From SACRE's point of view, there is nothing to prevent a Muslim pupil from attending visits to churches, synagogues, temples, or gurdwaras (Sikh place of worship). It is suggested to avoid arranging visits on Jumu`ah and during Ramadan without adequate facilities for prayer. The guide gives the following list of things that a school should observe for excursions that involve overnight stay: A detailed explanation of the objectives of the trip and the format it will take, and a recognition that Muslims might find some venues unacceptable (e.g. brewery).

- Availability of segregated washing and sleeping facilities for boys and girls.

- Availability of non-haram food, such as vegetarian or seafood alternatives.

- Availability of suitable facilities for prayer.

-Provision of a compass to determine the qiblah.

- Availability of adequate adult supervision.

- Awareness of teachers that most Muslim parents would not find attendance at a disco acceptable.

Good Practice

"Good practice" is the term used by both MCB and SACRE to encourage schools to make Muslim pupils matter. The guide provides

• A sample letter for teaching staff to send to parents over arrangements for Ramadan.
• A list of days when Muslim pupils are likely to be absent.
• A glossary of Arabic Islamic terms.
• Resources for teachers.

If the guide falls short, it falls short in two aspects. Firstly, the guide views school life as separate from actual life, a standpoint that obliges any child of faith to unnecessarily make choices that could cause problems. The other shortcoming is the perception of Islam as a burden that one must accommodate to, rather than a religion that has something of benefit to add to school life as a more rounded experience that moves toward educating, not fragmenting, a child as a whole.

Sources:

"Muslim Students in British State Schools." IslamOnline.net. 26 May 2007. Accessed 24 July 2007.

"Sex and Relationship Education Guidance." Department for Children, Schools and Families, UK. July 2000. Accessed 30 June 2007.

  Hwaa Irfan is the Managing Editor of the Family, Cyber and Parenting Counselor Pages at Islam Online.net.