IHRC condemns today’s decision by a High Court that a school in north west London was acting lawfully by preventing Muslim pupils from performing prayer on the premises.

The case against Michaela School in Wembley had been brought by a parent whose daughter was told that the head would not accommodate her need to pray during school hours.

The non-faith state secondary school, which is 50% Muslim, argued that allowing prayer rituals risked “undermining inclusion” among pupils.

The judge decided that because the pupil was aware of the “No Prayer” policy when she applied to the school she had implicitly accepted the restrictions on observing her religion.

IHRC believes that the decision is discriminatory. It is another example of the Islamophobia that is running rampant in our institutions. Any ban on manifestation of religion affects Muslims more than other pupils because Muslims are required to perform their prayers at fixed times.

The salat, or the five daily prayers, are obligatory on Muslims who have reached puberty. That being the case, it is an essential component of Muslim faith for which schools should make provision just as they make allowances for special dietary requirements.

IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said: “The level of Islamophobia is astonishing. It has created a second-class citizenship for Muslims that denies them their fundamental right to practice their faith and subjects them to a secularising agenda of social engineering.”

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