Britain's strictest headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh described a court ruling that her prayer ban is lawful as a 'victory for all schools'. Meherun Hamid tells GMB 'it wasn't impinging on anyone else'.
READ MORE --Religious groups were divided today over a High Court ruling dismissing a Muslim student's challenge against a ban on prayer rituals at her school in London .
However Muslim leaders have blasted the decision as 'divisive', claiming it showed a 'fundamental misunderstanding' of what it means to be part of the Islamic faith. Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, said the High Court ruling served as a reminder that claims of religious freedom 'do not trump all other considerations'
Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh was informed but she did not intervene because this was within the school rules at the time.Ms Birbalsingh said there was a 'high degree of concern and unease' among teachers and pupils as prayer rituals had not been conducted at the school before. The student brought a High Court challenge against the school, alleging that the policy was discriminatory and had 'fundamentally changed' how she felt 'about being a Muslim in this country'.Mr Justice Linden dismissed the pupil's arguments, saying there was 'a rational connection between the aim of promoting the team ethos of the school, inclusivity, social cohesion etc and the prayer ritual policy'.
Locals in the Wembley Park area were divided by the ruling today, with some telling MailOnline it was the school's 'right', while others said 'people should be able to live by their background'. And another man, who asked to remain anonymous, backed the decision, said: 'It is hard because it's a fine line. But if the High Court has made a decision there is not a lot they can do about it. I bet the parents are up in arms.
Serge Cefai, headmaster at St Thomas the Apostle College and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Secondary School in Southwark, South London, said today that he had been 'nervous' about the implications of the High Court ruling for headteachers across Britain. 'It also serves as a useful reminder that claims of religious freedom do not trump all other considerations. If a school wishes to uphold a secular ethos, it should be entitled to do so.
In contrast, Anthony Wilkins, 55, said: ‘I am not sure how I feel about it to be honest. I think people should be able to live by their background and where they're from no matter where they live. Meherun Hamid, from the Association of Muslim Schools, told ITV's Good Morning Britain today: 'It wasn't really impinging on anybody else's rights. She was just exercising her belief'
He said: 'If a child is in secondary school and misses their mid-afternoon prayer for five years, that's not an exception. That's been imposed as a rule.' She first grabbed the headlines at the 2010 Conservative Party conference with a damning speech on the state of England's schools where she said standards had been 'so dumbed down that even the teachers know it' and the education system was broken 'as it keeps poor children poor'.
Students at the school get detentions if they talk in the corridor or if they forget their pencil case or ruler. But Ms Birbalsingh, who describes herself on social media as having 'small c conservative values', faced criticism for comments she made as the Government's social mobility tsar. Just four months later, Ms Birbalsingh made headlines again when she told the National Conservatism conference that parents should be willing to take their children out of schools if they are 'too woke'.
Calling into question what he perceived as different approaches when it comes to Christianity, he said: 'If we are going to be creating a secular space in a school, should we cancel Easter break? Because that's inspired by Christianity. Should we cancel Christmas break? Because that's inspired by Christianity.
In a phone-in with LBC Radio, she welcomed the ruling and said: 'I found this particular incident quite fishy right from the get go. And it was clear that a lot of the statements that the young person had written had not been written by her but by professionals. Commenting on Ms Badenoch's statement, he said: 'I think unfortunately the minister's comments are sensationalising this case and playing into a culture war and a rhetoric which doesn't reflect the reality of what's happening on the ground.'
In a statement on its website, the organisation said: 'The High Court verdict is an absolute travesty of justice and all who care about preserving the tolerance and diversity of our multicultural nation should condemn this outcome. But this view was not shared by Nadeine Asbali, a London secondary school teacher whose book 'Veiled Threat: On Being Visibly Muslim in Britain' was released in January.
'Schools should not be forced by one child and her mother to change its approach simply because they have decided they don't like something at the school.' The school defended against the claim, arguing it had the discretion to adopt the stance amid death and bomb threats linked to religious observance on site. A ruling was issued today in favour of the school.
Teachers are specifically placed on corridors, staircases and at the door of the toilet to supervise children during breaks.Students move around the school's narrow corridors in single file and in silence and can only acknowledge staff.Groups of more than four pupils are not allowed, including when in the school yard.
Only certain items can be carried by students, with all others banned. Phones seen or heard are confiscated until the end of half term. Her mother, who supported the challenge, said: 'The case was rooted in the understanding that prayer isn't just a desirable act for us - it's an essential element that shapes our lives as Muslims.
At a hearing in January, the court was told that Ms Birbalsingh, a former government social mobility tsar, introduced the policy in March last year, with it being backed by the governing body in May.Lawyers for the school said students seen praying outside contributed to a 'concerted campaign' on social media over the school's approach to religion, with there also being a since-removed online petition attracting thousands of signatures.
Her legal team said she was making a 'modest' request to be allowed to pray for around five minutes at lunch time, on dates when faith rules required it, but not during lessons. He said the student had 'at the very least impliedly accepted' that she would be 'subject to restrictions on her ability to manifest her religion' when joining the secular school.
Evidence showed that since the prayer rituals ban was introduced 'good relations within the school community have been restored', the judge said. Also in the wake of the ruling, Humanists UK called on the Government to develop national guidance on religious practices in schools to address building 'resentment' in the system.
'A school should be free to do what is right for the pupils it serves. The court's decision is therefore a victory for all schools. Schools should not be forced by one child and her mother to change its approach simply because they have decided they don't like something at the school. 'Michaela is a school that works miracles in London's inner city, achieving on average nearly two-and-a-half grades higher at GCSE, with the best Progress 8 score for two years running, out of all of the 4,000 secondary schools across the country.
'Their patronising, paternalist, 'we know what's best for you' progressive thinking goes like this: ethnic minority families cannot possibly know what they want and have chosen and continue to choose for their children. 'The judge is clear that the child's statements were not written by her alone. Indeed, this mum intends to send her second child to Michaela, starting in September. At the same time, this mum has sent a letter to our lawyers suggesting that she may take us to court yet again over another issue at the school she doesn't like, presumably once again at the taxpayer's expense.
'Ours is very much a strong belief in small-c conservative values where we all move towards a shared goal, rejecting victimhood, together. In our ever-more diverse society we at Michaela stand for those values which save us from the worst of the divisiveness which identity politics engenders. 'What does it mean to be the headmistress in a school which tries to uphold our shared British values when different constituencies within our diverse society want different, sometimes opposing things, in the name of their religious commitments?
'At Michaela, we expect all religions and all races to make the necessary sacrifices to enable our school to thrive. The vast majority do so without complaint. We make the sacrifice of eating vegetarian food at lunch to enable us to break bread with each other across racial and religious divides. 'Schools that are secular and multicultural must be allowed the same right that religious schools have: the right to unity, the right to reject division, the right to not have the black group, the Hindu group, the Muslim group, the LGBT group etc.
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