‘Orwellian’ prayer ban worries

Moves to ban Islamic prayers in a school have potential ‘Orwellian consequences’, a representative of Christian teachers says.

Lizzie Harewood, executive officer at the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT), was expressing her thoughts after Katharine Birbalsingh, high-profile head of Michaela Community School in Brent and self-styled ‘Britain’s strictest headmistress’, introduced a ban on Muslim prayers during lunchbreaks.

During Ramadan 2023, a petition started demanding a prayer room and thousands signed it. The school then started getting death threats and bomb threats, teachers were racially abused and bricks thrown. School security had to be introduced.