While at secondary school my daughter encountered a new form tutor who seemed to take a dislike to her right from the start; he would pick on her for her uniform not being neat enough or for talking during silent time. One of her friends, of Sri Lankan origin, also got this treatment but I told my daughter to make sure her uniform was neat and to read in silent time so he’d have no reason to tell her off. However it became apparent that other pupils got away with messy uniform and talking and when I realised they were generally white I became concerned; especially when the teacher openly told his class he was deciding between Ukip and the Conservatives in the 2015 General Election.
Finally the two girls were again told off for talking during tutor time when he remarked “Nepalese girls always talk too much; it much be a cultural thing” – despite neither my daughter nor her friend actually being Nepalese. At this point I wrote to the head of year and deputy head to express my concerns and the reply I received said it was mostly a misunderstanding and the teacher was trying to improve uniform standards in his class before the children left Secondary school. When I again wrote to say that uniform was all very well but the “cultural” reference was totally unacceptable they completely neglected to reply. On meeting with the teacher during a parents evening my husband and I made it clear we wouldn’t tolerate any racist bullying of this sort; things settled down and soon afterwards he left, never to be heard of again. I wasn’t happy with the way the school had handled the situation as my daughter, one of only a few Muslims in the school, was left feeling very much singled out for abuse.
My youngest daughter often comes home from school and chats about her day and some of what she told me while she was in Year 6 did startle me. On a visit to Woking Mosque one day a rattling sound was heard outside and a child shouted “the terrorists are coming”; another time a child began to put her scarf on and off her head mimicking Arabic and laughing. My daughter was left saddened that classmates made fun of her faith, however on both occasions the teacher took the child in question aside and gave them a talking to so the situation never escalated, especially as the rattling sound in Woking was merely an approaching train!
On a small scale I’ve always made sure of communicating with local schools to help them in school fayres and fundraising as well as going in to classes to talk to children about Islam according to what they are studying on the National Curriculum. Maybe being visible and friendly just means that you’re not seen as alien which can only help. This has worked with the primary school who have always been open and friendly and happy to discuss and sort out any concerns but the secondary school was another matter.
It is common knowledge that hatred in general and Islamophobia is on the increase and the EU Referendum vote has only helped this along; sadly just for being visibly Muslim it is often women that have faced abuse. However there are groups and organisations that are working hard to counter this, Hope Not Hate and Tell Mama being two who have done much to bring incidents of hate to light.
After some good work done in the Slough area, firstly sorting out problems between Muslim and Sikh youths then expanding to help Roma youth integrate, community group Aik Saath were asked by Rushmoor Borough Council to come into primary schools in the Rushmoor area to work with pupils which they did in a fun, interactive way which children really responded to.
Rushmoor Council have been brilliant in trying to build unity among communities in general too. Once an area with little diversity, Rushmoor has in recent years seen a visible influx of Nepalese and East European people and it hasn’t always been a smooth change. There has been an increase in the Muslim population as well on a smaller scale.
Soon after the EU Referendum, the Council and Hampshire Police called a meeting with representatives of the different communities and the Army, to discuss hate crimes, reporting of them and what is being done to tackle incidents. It was a great opportunity for people to meet others who may be in similar situations and talk about what should be done to counter hate and suspicion including sending positive news stories to local press and organising a cultural event where people can get together.
Surely the way forward in communities is to get together and support each other and having local government and police involved does even more to make you feel you’re not alone and can defeat hatred.
Last week my daughter, now in Year 7 and in the same secondary school as her older sister, came home and told me about a social studies lesson they had had on the topic of racism where the teacher made clear what was happening and the danger of extreme Right political parties. The children were given scenarios, for example a woman who wished to donate her organs only to white recipients or a Spain versus England football match in which each time a black England player touched the ball the Spanish fans began monkey chants. The pupils were then asked to vote on the one they felt was the worst and which affected them most. My daughter was amazed and heartened that almost all of the children chose the story of a Muslim family who suffered escalating verbal and written abuse and threats culminating in a letter containing a warning along with a matchstick.
Things are changing in a visible manner and in a time of division and hatred there is still hope that we can stand together and counter hatred.
quillandinkandparchment 