A British city council has been caught in controversy after its equality chief challenged the ruling of a Christian school to stop a 4-year old girl from wearing an Islamic headscarf at school.
Equality chief Waseem Zaffar of Birmingham City Council, attempted to overturn a decision by St Clare's Catholic School in Handsworth Wood, The Telegraph reports.
Zaffar said that the school's uniform policy, which disallowed young children to wear headwear, was in conflict with the UK's Equalities Act, and insisted on 'a change of policy'.
Dame Louise Casey, a government official leading integration efforts, said she was 'very concerned' by Zaffar's intervention, which she regarded as 'grossly unfair and undue'. Dame Louise asked whether 'sufficient lessons' had been learned from the 'Trojan Horse' controversy that occurred three years prior.
The 'Trojan Horse' scandal centred on the alleged targeting of Birmingham schools by hard-line Islamists seeking to provoke a conservative ideology. Ofsted, the leading regulatory authority for British schools, said that it had evidence that 21 schools in the city were under threat, and that head teachers were being 'marginalised' by extremists trying to influence the education system.
Ofsted's chief, Sir Michael Wilshaw accused Birmingham City Council of a 'serious failure' to regulate and protect the city's schools and its children. The council was subsequently placed under constant review by the government.
St Clare's states on its website that 'hats or scarves are not allowed to be worn in school', which it says includes headscarves.
Shaista Gohir of the Muslim Women's Network UK, which promotes equality for Muslim women, told the BBC: 'The school is allowed to set its uniform policy and schools do have to be mindful and inclusive and cohesive and make sure that they don't breach their duties under the Equality Act.
'But they haven't done anything wrong because there is no Islamic requirement for a four-year-old to be wearing a headscarf.'
Dame Louise said she questioned the 'wisdom and legitimacy' of Zaffar's actions, writing to Birmingham city council leader John Clancy, and also emphasised that Islam makes places no obligation on young children to wear headscarves.
She asked Clancy: 'Why councillor Zaffar thought that his actions were an appropriate use of his office? What action the council leadership has taken to address this? And why you think this won't happen again?
'I found it was women and children who were the targets of these kinds regressive acts.'
Birmingham City council said it has responded to Dame Louise's letter privately.
