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.
Not all prayer looks the same - and that's okay
We’ve all been told stories of the great saints of prayer. You know, those worthy people who got up early …