The number of schools in the British city of Birmingham being investigated over fears that children are being radicalized by extremist Muslims attempting to seize control of educational institutions has now increased to 25. A couple of months ago it was four. The big increase means the UK government has been complacent over an extremist Islamist plot whose goal is nothing less than to take over control of schools in Britain. Concerns about how some of the 430 schools in the city are being run first emerged last year in a leaked anonymous letter which outlined how to implement what it called Operation Trojan Horse. The letter, which credited the plot with forcing a change of leadership at four schools, gave instructions on ousting and replacing uncooperative head teachers and school governors, all under the umbrella of a “jihad” and as such “all means possible to win the war is acceptable”. The letter's authenticity is unclear, but it led to a flood of claims from parents and staff that school bodies are being taken over by fundamentalist Islamists. The schools where such indoctrination is taking place are known as academies. Established from 2000 onwards, they are state-funded but are independent of local authority control. It is part of the frustration that the Birmingham City Council has no remit in the schools, which answer only to the national Department for Education. By its own admission, the council does not know who is on the governing body of the schools. In the absence of systematic control, these self-governing academies are freely planting the seeds of hatred and fanaticism in impressionable minds. What kind of education is it when the teachings of the Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki are praised in an assembly and to pupils? The danger lurks not just in classrooms but within the school walls, during the school day, in the school assembly, and during breaks. Officialdom speaks with concern. On a visit to Birmingham earlier this month, Prime Minister David Cameron promised “swift action” to ensure that schools are not used to spread terrorist ideology. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said schools should not be allowed to become “silos of segregation”. But the matter needs more than words of worry. The council has known of the claims for eight years at least but failed to act for fear of appearing anti-Muslim. During those years of feet dragging, nobody knows how many vulnerable minds were brainwashed. These Birmingham schools are funded by taxpayers yet they are becoming vehicles for the propagation of particular ideologies which divide young children from mainstream society, which is one sure way to promote radical views which often result in later problems. A child who is brought up believing that violence is the substitute for dialogue is getting a head start in radicalization. The plot has spread to Manchester and Bradford where issues in these two cities have similarities with the issues being talked about in Birmingham. Birmingham has a large Muslim population, representing 22 percent of the city. Its parents have every right to want their children to get a solid education on Islam grounded in the glorious virtues and principles of this great religion. This they are not getting.
