| | The Southern Daily Echo carries a feature item on Noor ul Islam primary school (pictured) in Leyton, east London.
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Prompted by the possibility of a Muslim school opening in Southampton, and what it could mean for the community there, reporter Sarah Jones goes off to observe the workings of a Muslim school elsewhere.
Jones writes:
‘Bashing out emails to any Muslim primary school in London I could find, I have to admit I wasn’t too hopeful of a response.
‘What I wanted was clear – a visit to their school ASAP – but what was in it for them?
‘The proposed new school in faraway Southampton would mean little to them and head teachers are busy people.
‘And no one can ignore the fact that it’s not the easiest of PR jobs to sell an Islamic school in the current political climate. I never heard from the first six schools I emailed.'
‘But just five minutes after sending the seventh, a reply dropped into my inbox.
‘“I am really glad that you have contacted us and that you want to write about our school.
‘We are at present involved in many exciting projects, which would certainly be worth writing about!
‘Please let me know of the dates that would suit you to come in and I am sure we can arrange something.”
‘And ten minutes later, the acting head at Noor Ul Islam primary school in Leyton, east London, was phoning me to repeat her kind invitation. She was certain their schedule could be cleared and we could come whenever we wanted.
‘Forging strong links with the local community, staff are keen to ensure their pupils do not live in a segregated Islamic bubble.
‘One of their key aims, after all, is to encourage pupils to be good citizens and make a positive contribution to society.
‘Noor Ul Islam Primary aims to work closely with their local authority and has strong links with other local schools.
‘The children are currently raising money for their local hospital and have even adopted a local flowerbed.
‘The school also operates a strict parking policy to ensure parents collecting their children are considerate to their neighbours.
‘In the school hall – where twice daily prayers take place – the walls are decorated with brightly coloured displays about healthy eating and snowflakes, and a bookcase groans with copies of Roald Dahl favourites and The Demon Headmaster.
‘Fostering a sense of Britishness too is important – these children are British Muslims after all – and this is covered in citizenship lessons. The children also go on regular school trips – the beach, the ice rink and a forest are all recent favourites.
‘Despite the current political climate, staff say they have never experienced any negativity towards the school.
‘So what is the secret of this wider success?
‘Two words – openness and transparency.
‘If the Leyton experience does come to Southampton there are, of course, obvious benefits for the Islamic community.
‘But perhaps surprisingly, there will be plenty of positives available to the wider community too.
‘If Noor Ul Islam Primary’s genuine openness and willingness to engage is adopted 90 miles down the motorway, it would be a valuable lesson learnt.
‘And such a refreshing ethos could have a positive effect far beyond the school walls.’
The article is a welcome contrast to the ‘report’ penned by Denis MacEoin, for Civitas, which was produced without the researcher even setting foot in a Muslim school. What are the odds that Noor ul Islam’s commendable work attracts the kind of media attention MacEoin’s alarmist report enjoyed?
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