A school mosque trip in Rotherham has been postponed because some parents felt that they did not want their children to wear ‘headscarves, cover their arms and wear clean shoes.’
Bizarrely some parents also stated that they feared for the safety of their young children and one parent cited the fact that there ‘is no male supervision,’ citing the fact that because males and females sit separately in mosques, she did not want her son exposed to this. The same parent stated that her son may be vulnerable by entering a mosque and that the recent grooming scandals meant he was at risk by entering a mosque.
The article in the Rotherham Advertiser highlights parental comments which focus on gender segregation, grooming and change of clothing. The comments are naturally followed by denial of racism and bigotry with another parent stating:
“I would like to reiterate that we are not a racist school and neither myself nor my children are racist.”
