The Trojan Horse files: On the eve of an explosive report into claims of a plot by Islamic extremists to take over schools, we investigate the man accused of being the mastermind
- Ofsted report on alleged plot to Islamicise students will be released in days
- Tahir Alam is a governor at three Birmingham schools facing criticism
- Alam, 45, can be revealed as author of a controversial 2007 booklet
- Guide to teaching Muslim pupils suggested segregation in state schools
- It also banned relationships, gay or straight, and teaching contraception
- One head claimed he appointed 'allies' as parent governors in 'coup'
- Alam denies plot and calls investigations an Islamophobic 'witch hunt'
Filled with endless pictures of smiling children, the ‘information and guidance’ booklet must have looked anodyne when it tumbled off the press a few years ago.
It was produced by the Muslim Council of Britain and contained — in the words of the foreword — 72 pages of advice to schools designed to ‘promote greater understanding of the faith, religious and cultural needs’ of pupils from an Islamic background.
Even the title seemed, on the face of things, uncontroversial. It was called simply: Meeting The Needs Of Muslim Pupils In State Schools.
Controversy: Tahir Alam is the alleged
mastermind of a plot by Islamic extremists to take over schools. The
45-year-old can be revealed as the author of a controversial 2007
booklet about teaching Muslim pupils
Appearances can be deceptive, though. For within days of its publication, this outwardly unremarkable booklet had sparked an explosive political controversy.
For, in the eyes of a host of vociferous critics, it amounted to nothing less than a blueprint for the ‘Islamicisation’ of Britain’s entire education system.
To that end, it called for sweeping changes in the way everything from music, art and sports, to biology and religious education were taught in schools.
One passage endorsed a ban on ‘unIslamic’ activities, such as dancing, for Muslim pupils.
Another said swimming lessons should be halted during Ramadan, because ‘the potential for swallowing water [when fasting] is very high’. A third, regarding behavioural codes, declared that ‘girlfriend/boyfriend as well as homosexual relationships’ are ‘not acceptable practices according to Islamic teachings’.
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