Matthew and Son

Thank god the readership of the Daily Express is small (unfortunately the same can't be said of the Daily Mail readership). Today The Express ran with the following story "British Girls forced to wear Burkhas as part of School Uniform".

The story is the usual conflation of untruths, implicate prejudices and xenophobia. The great thing about the internet is that you can check up on this rag's claims.

Take what we're told about Jamea Al Kauthar,.." a boarding school for 400 girls in Lancaster, where students are taught to commit the Koran to memory, also enforces the strict dress code. As well as prohibiting students from plucking their eyebrows, girls are told the “Black Jubbah (smock-like outer garment) and dopatta (shawl) is compulsory as well as purdah (veil) when leaving and returning to Jamea."

The school has been moved to repudiate the news reports. It does not force the wearing of the veil....however they do encourage students to dress modestly. Amen to that. The school does offer the opportunity to commit the whole of Quran to memory - what's the problem there?

Some might object to the school's emphasis on Islam, but no one can surely object to its values:

Aims and Objectives of Jamea Al Kauthar

1) The aims of this educational establishment is to provide opportunities for students to have an in depth understanding of Deen.

2) Develop the love for Allah and his Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam)

3) Instilling religious and moral values, tolerance of other races and religions

4) Producing individuals who have the capacity to think for themselves, to know their own minds but to have the flexibility to listen to others

5) Encouraging all pupils to appreciate the needs of others and be sensitive to them, to work in teams and be able to recognise from right and wrong

The Express also has a go at the Madani Girls School in Tower Hamlets. 

The Express feels that somehow it is important to tell its readers that the school does not accept cheques and that payments should be paid in cash. A little lesson for The Express. There are a large number of small shops in Tower Hamlets, most of their turnover is in cash. Our local Costco serves many of the Asian small businesses in our area - invariably transactions are in cash. If only more of us paid in cash maybe we'd have less problem paying off our credit cards and other cash less debts.

We are now gripped by Al Qaeda  terror plot fear - according to the red tops with "Fears of a plot to massacre thousands in Britain..." This is medieval - images of Saladin and the Musim hordes at the gates of Jerusalem.

Total tosh, it was the main story for an hour until it gave way to the rape,torture and murder of a 12 year old by her uncle. 

Life was so much simpler when Cat and I were on "The Freedom Train".