New rules for British public schools require teachers to "challenge" some religious beliefs of parents in the name of equality, according to the Christian Institute in the United Kingdom.
The rules were written by the government after several schools were "taken over by governors seeking to impose harsh Islamic practices," the institute said.
The organization reported that what now is being called the "Trojan Horse affair" was documented in a report from Peter Clarke, the former chief of counter-terrorism for the Metropolitan Police. Clarke said school children were encouraged to express vocal support for anti-Christian remarks and Christmas was banned.
The government report found a "coordinated, deliberate and sustained action, carried out by a number of associated individuals, to introduce an intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos into a few schools in Birmingham."
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Students who opted to study Christianity for one of the requirements "sat separately in classes and had to teach themselves," the report found. Also, a teacher "held an assembly where he reportedly said: 'Jesus wasn't born in Bethlehem, was he?' and, 'We don't celebrate Christmas, do we?'"
Children were expected to reply "no."
There even was an allegation that IT technicians recorded "what appeared to be al-Qaida terrorist videos into a DVD format."
On the surface, the rules are to require schools to teach "British" values, including tolerance and respect for others.
However, the institute noted the legal opinion from John Bowers, Queen's Counsel, who found that schools could be sued over what they teach.
The changes call for teachers to "actively promote" the rights defined in the Equality Act 2010, including sexual orientation and transsexual rights. They also allow for a process for pupils, parents and others to sue.
A lawsuit could be filed if someone claims a teacher "undermine[d] respect for some people's beliefs."
Bowers also found that school inspectors now would be required to police "how equality law concepts are being promoted" by each school.
In that context, "schools will be required to challenge parents" on their values if they contradict what the government has determined is "equality," Bowers said.
That, he noted, would be in opposition to European human rights law, which affirms parents have the right to educate their child in their own beliefs.
The institute previously raised concerns about how far the government was going with its plan.
It had told government officials that the changes for more than 6,000 schools even could be used to remove "gender specific terms such as 'husband' and 'wife' from the curriculum" and could force Christian schools to put Christmas on the same level as any other religious holiday."
The Institute also reported that Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the move simply was "over-regulation."
The institute's Colin Hart had warned, "Under the regulations parents are explicitly sidelined in their views" and can be "challenged if they disagree with the new government rules on equality."
He said the "problem is the way these things can be used, and it can be completely over the top."
"Promoting transgender rights is not going to combat Muslim extremism."
Bowers explained that while the aim of the government may have been to ensure that extremism is not part of the schooling, there are other "unintended consequences."
They affect "how children are to think and express themselves and how teachers should encourage them to do so," he wrote.
"One question which may be posed: Could this be interpreted as requiring teachers to promote the idea that principles enshrined in the law as enacted … are in some way 'better' than principles which are not enshrined in law (but may be art of genuinely held religious beliefs)? Arguably yes," said Bowers.