There’s a place for Subjects. Under Subjects, there’s a place for Islamic Studies.
At the heart of Al-Madinah School is the Quranic and Islamic Studies department, supported by a team of experienced and dedicated servants of Islam. Our commitment to Islam in the school is reflected by the fact that each week, six lessons will be dedicated to Islamic, Quranic and Arabic Studies in the secondary school along with numerous lessons in the primary school. In this programme, great attention and effort will be geared to subject areas such as Quranic reading with the correct pronunciations (Tajwid), Quranic translation and commentary (Tafsir) and the memorisation of the Quran (Hifz). In addition to this we also teach Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), the flawless biography (Sira) of Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Islamic history, Islamic beliefs (Aqidah) and Islamic morality (Akhlaq).
In other words, time will be taken from other subjects and spent on items like the flawless biography (Sira) of Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Also, is taught in those many lessons will be utter shite. The lessons will be taught by dedicated servants of Islam.
Every effort will be made to imitate the way medieval people thought, when they didn’t have the accumulated stores of knowledge that we have, nor the much-tested and refined methods of inquiry that we have.
All this in a school funded by the state.
Especially the parts cribbed right out of the bible. Those are the most inerrant parts – they are double inerrant because they are in two magically perfect books!
The only reason anyone would go to the trouble of refering to any biography as “flawless” is because they know it is anything but.
I’m still amazed that the British state is supporting a school where the teaching of “Darwinism” is problematic and needs to be overseen by a department of Islamic Studies. What else, I wonder. The fossil record, radiometric dating, cosmology? Perhaps Dawkins’s infamous tweet about the lack of Islamic Nobel prizes had a point.
I looked for equivalent restrictions in Catholic schools and couldn’t find any.
Why do we call it “bending over backwards to please someone” when it usually involves bending forward, dropping one’s trousers and being violated without complaint?
This is also the school that systematically discriminated against its female students by making them all sit behind the boys and discriminated against its female non-muslim staff by making the hijab compulsory. That this sort of school operates at tax-payer expense and without oversight from the local council – fucking incredible but that’s Britain!
I have the school’s prospectus. It is a sickening document containing many transparent examples of blatant medievalism. That this sort of ‘school’ – no, Madrasa in fact – can be even set up in so-called secular England, never mind funded by unwilling taxpayers is an utter and contemptible disgrace.
The secretary for education, the much-loathed Michael Gove, seems hell bent on returning to a set of Victorian values consisting of religion and slave labour for both teaching staff and pupils. Most teachers and head teachers seemed angry and perplexed by his plans, as do the public, to encourage all-comers – religious zealots or otherwise – to open ‘Free schools’, of which this Madrasa in Derby is one.
The school system seems more fractured than ever before, certainly than in my lifetime.
As mentioned above, this school, if it remains functional, will breed sectarianism, division, sexism, male dominance, separatism, etc.
It is a school blatantly promoting Islam and it’s insidiously schismatic codes. In the year 2013. In the UK.
Look at this section from the document – See the note at the bottom?
1.0 Books and teaching resources…
” In each and every department, all efforts will be geared
towards ensuring the books and resources conform to the
teachings of Islam.
Sensitive, inaccurate and potentially blasphemous material
will be censored or removed completely. If and when
teachers are required by the curriculum to convey teachings
that are totally against Islam1 , the Director of Islamic Studies
will brief the relevant teachers and advise accordingly.
With regards to songs and music, we acknowledge that it
can be an aid for learning, in particular in primary school.
Under the guidance of the Director, it shall only be used as
a learning aid, not for entertainment and amusement
purposes.
Muslims are encouraged to reflect on Allah’s beauty in his
creations. The art lessons will be used as a platform to fulfill
this religious duty. At the same time however, great care will
be taken to ensure artwork produced or shown in lessons
conform with the specific teachings of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him).
1 Darwinism, for example”
And the next section…
2.0 The attire of teachers and staff members
” All staff members will also express decency and modesty in
their clothing and appearance. Female members of staff –
irrespective of their religious beliefs – will cover their heads
and bodies appropriately in light of the teachings of Islam.
Provocative and revealing clothing will not be permitted.
Male members of staff are expected to dress so they create
an example for their pupils. In short, the school will adhere
to Qur’anic teachings when it comes to clothing. ‘And
clothes of piety, that is better’, Allah Almighty states (7: 26). “
And if anyone would care to browse through the delightful document, and perhaps to even consider sending your offspring there… Then please have a look. It’s a real page-turner and and eye-opener. A rattling good read, although I didn’t care much for the plot.
Or the end…
https://www.dropbox.com/s/78lf6ycrs5zzv06/AL-Madinah%20prospectus.pdf
And here’s the prospectus for Madani High School in Leicester, about 20 miles from Derby. It’s voluntary aided which means it’s largely funded by the local authority – Leicester City Council.
http://www.madanihigh.leicester.sch.uk/downloads/Prospectus.pdf