UK court rules school prayer ban is lawful
A British High Court ruled on April 16 that a prayer ban imposed by a school in North London early last year was lawful, The Telegraph reported.
A ban on prayer was introduced in March 2023 at the Michaela community school by headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh. Critics of the ban argued it was an attack on religious freedom.
Dubbed “Britain’s strictest headteacher”, Birbalsingh is often interviewed by the country’s media giants and often makes the headlines, usually defending her harsh teaching methods and socially conservative views.
Discipline is seen as the number one priority at Michaela: no talking in corridors, a lack of punctuality will be punished, 3 hours worth of homework every night, school days longer than the national average and detention for those caught chewing gum.
Her strict methods have received scrutiny by more liberal-minded teaching experts but nonetheless, Michaela is one of the best performing schools nationwide.
Muslim students have said that the ban targets them and makes them feel unsafe in the school and in wider British society more generally, indeed it was a Muslim pupil (who remains unnamed for confidentiality reasons) who took her school to court.
The Runnymede Trust, the country’s leading independent race equality think tank, claimed that the ruling set a dangerous precedent at a time when Islamophobia is rife.
“It targets Muslim students and cannot be removed from the ramping up of Prevent and recent govt extremism definition. No child should be policed for the peaceful practice of their faith.” they said.
The Muslim student who took the institution to court argued that the prayer embargo was “like somebody saying they don’t feel like I properly belong here”.
Justice Thomas Linden ruled the prayer ban did not interfere with the pupils’ religious freedom as they could have moved to another school that allowed prayer.
READ: France bans Islamic dress in schools
There are roughly 400 Muslims currently at the school, around half of the total student population . According to data from 2021, 21% of residents in the surrounding northwest London borough of Brent are Muslim.
Birbalsingh said that the policy was imposed as a vital way to “maintain a successful learning environment where children of all races and religion can thrive”.
Business Secretary and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who often gets embroiled in culture war issues, welcomed the ruling and argued that: “No pupil has the right to impose their views on an entire school community in this way. The (2010) Equality Act is a shield, not a sword and teachers must not be threatened into submission.”
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The PM welcomes the judgment. The Michaela community school is an outstanding school with a history of excellent outcomes for pupils.
The government has always been clear that heads (headteachers) are best placed to take decisions on what is permitted in our schools. And this judgment supports that.”
Tell Mama, a project that monitors anti-Muslim hate crime in Britain, reported the largest rise in anti-Muslim hate cases since October during the holy month of Ramadan (335% increase). The shocking uptick in such incidents is linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Telegraph
