BBC Radio 4’s ‘Too Young to Veil?’ examines controversy around primary school age girls wearing the hijab

Shaimaa Khalil discusses the rising trend in the UK of primary school girls wearing the hijab, whether there is a need for concern about this, and who, if anyone, has the right to decide what young girls wear.

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Teacher convicted of attempting to radicalise 110 pupils, continuing the debate about Ofsted’s measures for targeting extremism

Umar Haque, who taught at two schools and at a madrassa, has been convicted of attempting to radicalise 110 of his pupils despite Ofsted inspections at the schools not revealing any concern of extremism. Questions have been raised about extending Ofsted’s powers to combat extremism as a result, a topic which is already controversial.

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3 charts that show being Muslim has nothing to do with how ‘British’ you feel

01/21/16 David Cameron has launched a number of measures aimed at improving integration among Muslims – in particular, Muslim women – in the UK. Polls show that around 70% of people don’t think Muslims are well integrated into British society and concern that Muslim people living in Britain do not feel British has long been…

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The Limits of British Values

The UK Government recently announced its Counter Extremism Strategy, a document which refers to ‘British values’ 54 times. Within this report, extremism is defined as ‘the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.’ These are…

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School heads warn of Trojan Horse overreaction

August 12, 2014 Anti-extremism measures for schools in the wake of the Trojan Horse inquiries are rushed and could have unintended consequences, head teachers warn. They claim proposed regulations could inhibit “free discussion” and are calling for a longer time for consultation. The rules apply to England’s academies, independent and free schools. A Department for…

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