Update on SRE

Published by afzana_javed on 7 May, 2009 - 21:00

Assalamualaikum,

Last week the report of Sir Alasdair Macdonald recommended that SRE should be made compulsory, he also recommended that the right of parental opt-out from SRE classes should be maintained and school governing bodies should retain the right to decide how SRE is taught in schools.

Last Thursday the public consultation based upon these recommendations was launched which anyone can respond to, as parents, governors, mosques, organisations, and we strongly recommend that everyone completes the short online consultation, which takes only 10-15 minutes to complete. The deadline for contribution is Friday 24th July On the other side there are rabidly ideologically liberal, secular organisations that have been pushing for the parental opt-out to be withdrawn and for homosexuality to be taught as standard in all primary schools.

A freedom of information request to DCSF has allowed us to view all the responses to the McDonald review and it is very clear there was and still remains a concerted attempt to achieve the long standing dreams of the sexual health lobby by lowering the bar on what is acceptable and normal in our schools by primarily cutting the rights of parents to instill moral values in their children.

It is important that as a Muslim community we protect the Islamic values which Allah subhanahu wa ta’aala set as our creator has set in terms of the parameters of halal and haram. The values of marriage, hayaa, the prohibition of relations outside of marriage and the prohibition of homosexuality. A head of a Catholic organisation I spoke with recently warned that the government wants nothing more than to anglicanise Islam. They want it to be reformed, stripped of the very values that define our submission and worship to our creator.

The campaign has grown significantly since it was launched last November.

So far we have held seminars in the following places.

LONDON

Barking & Dagenham: 2

Redbridge: 1

Newham: 4

Tower Hamlets: 3
Greenwich: 1

Lewisham: 1

Wandsworth: 1

Haringey: 1

Barnet: 2

Ealing: 1

Luton,Southampton, Oxford, Stoke, Sheffield, Manchester, Bradford

We would like to thank Shaykh Abdul Qayyum, from East London Mosque for his his support in Tower Hamlets, Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad and Shaykh Suliman Ghani for their support in South London, Shaykh Yazdani al-Misbahi for his support in West London and also to Tower Hamlets Council of Mosques and Waltham Forest Council of Mosques.

The work is only just beginning. We have planning events in Harrow, Cricklewood, Hounslow, Slough, Tooting, Streatham, Croydon, Reading, Hackney, Brightion, Leicester, Birmingham and Derby.

We have 16,000 petitions, but we need more to make an impact in voicing the Muslim community’s opposition to these proposals that cut to th heart of our values.

If you can help us to spread the word and put us in touch with people in these or other areas please get in touch.

We have recently updated and printed our report: Please visit the front page of our campaign blog to download a PDF copy –

You can also download an updated copy of our presentation at the same location.

Please support us by offering us practical support to deliver awareness raising seminars in your communities, through your practical support, advice and dua.

Macdonald Review:

PSHEE Consultation: (online registration required, click on ‘Register to complete the questionnnaires online’, on the top right-hand corner)

JazakAllahu khairan
Wassalam
Yusuf Patel


07883 027 067