By Matthew
Hickley
Last updated at 1:25 AM on 19th July 2008
State school pupils are set to be
taught Islamic traditions and values in compulsory citizenship lessons.
The move
- part of a package of initiatives announced by Communities
Secretary Hazel Blears yesterday - is designed to curb extremism.
Education campaigners warned
however against giving Islam a privileged position over other faiths.
Other plans announced by Miss
Blears also drew criticism - including a
state-funded panel of Islamic scholars and theologians to provide community
leadership.
Prominent Muslims said this
scheme was naive because Government endorsement would erode the credibility of
those taking part, especially among the young and disaffected.
Another measure will see Muslim
children being taught citizenship lessons by imams in mosque schools - in the hope that they will be better equipped
to resist extremist messages.
Many Muslim youngsters in the
Ministers want imams to stress
that the Koran places a duty on all Muslims to be good neighbours,
carry out voluntary work and play an active part in civic society.
Pilot schemes will begin in
October in
The Department for Communities
and Local Government has tasked the Islam & Citizenship Education group
with producing the teaching materials for mosques.
The organisation,
however, wants to extend its remit to mainstream state schools by 'teaching
Islamic traditions and values in the school citizenship curriculum'.
David Conway, senior research
fellow at the Civitas think-tank, said: 'Some will
see this as another sign of a creeping process of Islamisation
- an insidious process which plays down the Christian basis of our
culture and encourages children to learn more and more about Islam's
contribution.
'Muslims are still a relatively
small minority in Britain and, while I have nothing against children in our
multi-religious society learning about each other's faiths, for one particular
faith to be privileged in mainstream schools seems to me pointless, and won't
make for greater harmony.
'I fear it will play into the
hands of the small minority who want to see the Islamisation
of Europe, and believe they will triumph through sheer numbers.'
Unlike religious education
classes, citizenship lessons, which do not cover issues of belief, are
compulsory.
Nick Seaton, chairman of the
Campaign for Real Education, said: 'We should not single out one particular
faith. Citizenship is supposed to be secular.
'Children can learn about
particular religious values in religious education lessons. That's why parents
have the right to withdraw. It's a very different matter to promote a
particular faith's values as part of compulsory citizenship lessons.
'It seems to me dangerous to
single out the one faith which is probably linked to the most problems with
terrorism at the moment for special treatment.'
Khalid Mahmood,
project manager of Islam & Citizenship Education, stressed that the project
was at a very early stage.
He said: 'The material is being
developed for the madrassahs but we are putting it
together so that people in mainstream schools would also be able to use it.'
Miss Blears announced details of
the panel of 20 leading Muslim experts which will have £100,000 in state
funding.
Based at
Miss Blears insisted the new
panel would be independent, adding: 'It is not for Government to dictate on
matters of faith or religious teaching.'
Dr Azzam
Tamimi, of the
He said: 'This is a naive
initiative. This not how Muslim education or awareness works.
'When a Muslim individual seeks
advice or knowledge he or she would usually go to a person they consider to be
credible or an authority, and usually Muslims are suspicious of
government-sponsored or organised commissions.'
Dr Tamimi
told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme ministers were
trying to dictate to Muslims over religious awareness and education.