The National Council of Imams and Masajid

British Government has been frustrated that a large number of Imams were born and educated in Pakistan, speak limited English, but well versed in their mother tongues, Arabic, Urdu and Farsi, making it difficult for the Government to know what is going on in the Masajid. The drive to encourage British Muslims to become Islamic clerks and to teach English to Imams is planned by British establishment with the help of so called Muslim leaders. Imams were accused of being out me grown”. The home grown Imams are neither well versed in English nor in Urdu or in other community languages. The Imams from the Sub-continent must be freely allowed to come to satisfy the spiritual social and emotional.

In reality, Islam isn’t about beliefs, it’s also about culture and identity. According to BNP, Islam has become a toxic racial proxy. Atheists and fundamentalist Christians are using popular slogans to incite against Muslims whom they see as the new source of danger for Europe. Pope Urban 11 in 1099 called the faithful to join the first Crusade and expel the Muslims from the Holy Land. It is now high time to react once again and defend Western civilizations as well as everything else which is threatened by radical Koran-Islam. The modern Crusades plan to save western civilization from Islamisation. Islamophobia is a deliberate defamation of Islam and discrimination and intolerance against Muslims. It is the worst type of terrorism the world has ever witnessed. British education system has already eradicated the languages of the young generation of Muslims. Now the British establishment is trying to kick out Urdu and other community languages from the Masajid. Bilingualism is an asset and not a problem.

Education experts say that a celebration on community languages in schools is one way of riding Britain of its reputation as the world’s language “dunce” and promoting better relations between different ethnic groups. The study of such languages is considered important for the future health of the economy. Research by CILT shows a revolution in the take-up of non-traditional languages in secondary schools. Experts say promoting community languages could also persuade native Brits to take an interest in them. The linguistic map of Britain was changing, with multi-linguals spreading from typically multi-ethnic areas to more “traditional” parts. By encouraging children to develop their existing knowledge we will be building up an important skills base as well as raising educational achievement. There is a huge body of research testify to the benefits that bilingualism has for educational development. The future of Britain is multi-lingual, and this needs to be reflected in the school curriculum.

Unfortunately with the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment, racism and Islamophobia, bilingualism has been neglected and ignored intentionally. Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of a child states that “the education of the child should be directed to the development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity, languages and values.” Article 30 states that “a child belonging to an (ethnic, religious or linguistic minority) should be educated in a manner that affirmatively acknowledges their native language abilities as well as ensures their acquisition of English. The Education Act of 1944 clearly states that children should be educated according to the needs and demands of the parents. The silent majority of Muslim parents would like to send their children to state Muslim schools. Dcsf and OFSTED must take the responsibility that all schools must abide by the human rights issues.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

How many times are you going to post this?!! over and over and over again...

I think the Webcameron mods/admin might consider it 'spam'?!

Salaam

London School of Islamics is an educational Trust. It's aim is to make British public, institutions and media aware of the needs and demands of the Muslim community in the field of eduycation and possible solution.

Please visit www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk for more information on this crucial and complicated issue.

Demand all you like. It's what you do best after all isn't it

Talk to the hand!

As far as I'm concerned religion and politics don't mix.

Salaam

Majority of Muslim leave schools with low grades because State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable of teaching English to bilingual Muslim children.

Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. They need to be well versed in English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. At the same time they need to be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their culturl roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.

A Muslim is a citizen of the tiny gloabal village. He/she does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brit.Pakistan is only seven hours from London and majority of Muslims are from Pakistan.

Britain has become a global village and the whole world is looking at Britain to find out how different communities have been contributing for the social, economic, emotional and spiritual prosperity of Britain.

Eh? Where have you been, canvas? Religion is political. it's about the human condition.

Well it seems to me that if you are so unhappy with the way things are here, you can solve your problem in just seven hours then!

No, just coaching in English. And why should the British taxpayer be responsible for Muslim community languages?

Most of the Muslim kids I know really don't give a fart for the "Muslim Culture" as such, they are out drinking and having fun in the pubs, clubs and bars with their mates - black, white, green or otherwise, and bloody good on them too.

Personally speaking and from my very limited experience, it seems to me that the Muslim youngsters (whom I know) that mix with their "western" mates live a better more fulfilling life than if they had been constrained by their backwards religion that seems to be more to do with stifling culture and literature!!

Salaam

Muslim youth must participate in the British society, mixing with every body around them. They are part and parcel of the British society. It is the British society and Establishment who is guilty of discrimination in all walks of life. They must avoid the evils of the westen society. They can only do so if they are educated in Muslim schools with Muslim teachers. Every sensible human being does not want his youth to indulge in drug addiction, drinking and binge drinking , anti-social behviour, teenage pregnancies and abortion.Muslim parents do not want their children to be integrated into such barbarity. High divorce rates, forced marriages and honour killings among Muslims are the fruits of western education which makes a man/woman stupid, according to Lord Bertend Russell, well known British Philosopher and Mathmatician.

The demand for state funded Muslim schools is in accordance with the law of the land. The children should be educated according to the needs and demands of their parents. Muslim community is not asking any favour. They have been contirbuting for the economic prosperity of the British society for the last 50 years. They all pay all sorts of taxes and are less burden on the social services.

I don't think any state school should involve religion - but that's quite difficult since 'The Church of England' is the established state church in England.

I think we need to remind everyone of the dangers of the creeping influence of religious organisations in education.

Hank Roberts, a Brent teacher, gets it right when he says:

Salaam, Iftikhar.

I really think that you are not doing yourself any favours here. You speak of the demands of the Muslim community; not wanting to become ; that Pakistan is only 7 hours away so the cultures of that country must be fully met and supported by Britain; English teachers are not capbable of teaching Muslim children; etc etc.
I am not sure what you are expecting to get from this site. I doubt it will be an apology for being British - or Sikh, or Hindu or, the saints preserve us, Christian, which is the established church of this country. I hope that you are not expecting non-Muslims of Britain to disregard their faiths, cultures and traditions in order to ensure the demands of the Muslim communities are met.
In Britain there are churches, temples, synagogues and mosques in abundance, which seek to serve their communities within the daily lives of the people of this country. Where else in the world would you hope to find such accommodation? How would the people of Pakistan feel if British citizens moved to Islamabad, said they were part of the Pakistani nation and then demanded state supported Christian schools, English speaking teachers, etc. and the rights of British cultures to to be expressed fully and as they wanted irrespective of the country they were in? I think that the response would be one of anger.
I can understand and admire your loyalty to your culture, faith and your roots. It would be good if you,too, could demonstrate some respect and loyalty to the country in which you live.
God bless you.

iftikar - as a muslim myself (who doesn't come from Pakistan) i can say that if the kids can't speak english it is the fault of their families, not teaching them both languages.

i was brought up in a mixed race family, my mother being British and my Father part Arab. i was taught both languages English and Arabic and went to school without any problems. My parents have let me make my own choices in life, i have mixed with my christian friends and not been drinking or any of the things that you describe. You should not tar everyone with the same brush.

Are you trying to tell me that because i was educated at a west london private school i have been subjected to 'evils', it was my parents who said i shouldn't go to an islamic school due to the ways in which some children are brain washed into thinking that because someone is not a muslim it means they are bad and wrong. Besides, my mother has never been accepted by many Muslims because she changed her religion (isn't that discrimination?).

It is my opinion that if you are not happy with 'Britsh' Culture then you should not live here, not everybody holds the same values as you. go and seek what you are looking for somewhere else

We all know that the BNP are a bunch of fruit loops and not many sane people listen to them.

Why has your mother 'changed her religion' Sarah?

Iftikhar - As usual you are talking utter rubbish. As I've stated on here before, at schools in Bradford, use of bi-lingual classroom assistants is already widespread. So whilst schools bend over backwards to accomodate the needs of their pupils, the main thing that holds these pupils back is the unwillingness of their parents (many of whom have been here for ten or twenty years) to learn English and speak it in the home - despite English as a second language courses being offered for free at the local college. Add to that the fact that children are often taken out of school during term time for extended trips to Pakistan (3 months or more at a time when they should have been in school)and you begin to see the real reasons why children underachieve. Take a look at the OFSTED reports - these are the issues that come up time and time again.
So carry on ignoring the facts and keep spamming the board, but as Canvas says, you are talking to the hand.

scrubsupwell - my mum changed her religion when she married my Dad, she embraced a new religion as she always said she always felt she never had religion.