LONDON, Feb 20: Believe it or not, music, chess, cricket, drama, dance, sport, Shakespeare, and, in some cases, all other aspects of western culture are banned in some Muslim schools in the UK, according to a report published in the Daily Telegraph on Friday.

Making this rather astonishing claim, Dr Denis MacEoin in an article — ‘We must stop Muslim schools teaching that integration is a sin’ — quotes the management committee of London’s Madani Secondary Girls’ School as saying that this is because “our children are exposed to a culture that is in opposition with almost everything Islam stands for”.

Dr MacEoin says that the response to this sense of danger is often to forbid outright any kind of relationship with non-Muslims: “Allah has warned us in the Quran, do not befriend the kuffaar. The Jews and Christians will never be content with you until you follow their way,” Riyadhul Haq, a teacher in Kidderminster is quoted as saying.

According to MacEoin, attitudes such as these run counter to everything education stands for.

“We want children to grow up to be successful, well-integrated members of society. Most British people want to see Muslims play a part at every level. To be lawyers, doctors, teachers, and scientists. And to be musicians and composers, painters, and writers. Not to lose their Muslim identity, but to reshape it as part of being British. “Some Muslim schools teach social cohesion, others regard it as a deadly sin. Some schools impart the skills necessary for a fulfilling life alongside non-Muslim friends and co-workers, others try to recreate a Pakistani or Bangladeshi lifestyle and to make it exclusive.

“Several recent surveys have noted an unusual phenomenon among young Muslims here and in Europe: that 16-to-24-year-olds are more hardline in their opinions than their parents or even their grandparents. The youngest generation is moving away from mainstream society, not towards it.

“The reasons for this are complex, but there can be little doubt that Islamic schools play a role in encouraging children and teenagers to isolate themselves. More than 50 per cent of the establishments I examined for my report on Muslim schools showed indications of strong fundamentalist influence and control. Some were set up by organisations that have been banned in some countries.

“Not infrequently, Ofsted inspectors give glowing reports to schools that require much closer examination. Al-Mu’min Primary School in Bradford is linked to the Al Mu’min journal, which carries material from schoolchildren. Its website teaches that western culture is “evil”, photographs are “an evil practice of the unbelievers”, and that “the person who plays chess is like one who dips his hand in the blood of a swine”.

“But here’s a sample of the Ofsted report: “Al-Mumin Primary School provides a good education for its pupils and ensures that they have good attitudes and a very good work ethic... The provision made for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is outstanding.”

“Many commentators have spoken of the long-term consequences to society of an over-lenient policy of multiculturalism. In the Islamic case, the growth of exclusive communities in major cities carries the added risk that young men and women may be more easily lured into violence.

“According to a report delivered to the Royal Geographical Society in 2005, the process of integration is so slow that in many cases it will never happen. Speaking at a Muslim Educational conference in 2002, Dr Musharraf Hussain stated that: “If we care about the future of this country, we must care about our children. If Muslim children are to be left to the tender mercies of religious extremists, we all face an uncertain future. The government has the power to stop this. It is time it did.”