Reversing a school’s “emergency” provoked decision to ban prayer rituals would again expose it to “an unacceptable risk of threats”, the High Court has been told.
Michaela Community School in Brent, north London, argues allowing such practices risks “undermining inclusion and social cohesion between pupils”, with its ban coming after a “vitriolic campaign of abuse, harassment and threats” against staff.
The high-achieving free school, previously dubbed Britain’s strictest, is facing a legal challenge from a Muslim student who claims its approach to prayer on the premises is discriminatory and “uniquely” affects her faith due to its ritualised nature.
The pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, alleges the school’s stance on prayer – one of the five pillars of Islam – was “the kind of discrimination which makes religious minorities feel alienated from society”, a judge was told.
But the school’s lawyers claim its policy was “justified” and “proportionate” after it faced death and bomb threats linked to religious observance on site.
TalkTV’s Vanessa Feltz discusses the story with TalkTV international editor Isabel Oakeshott and the Centre for Education and Youth’s Baz Ramaiah.
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