Toxic PREVENT is turning young girls into suspects

London – The announcement that primary school girls will be interrogated by Ofsted for wearing hijab is part of a broader neo-conservative policy driven by PREVENT, and which aims to make “conditions harder for Muslims across the board”. This is a clear sign that PREVENT is a policy which is poisoning public life and creating an environment in which it is now acceptable to interrogate young children. This toxic environment is maintained through the infiltration of the public sector by neo-conservative hate networks. The politicisation of Ofsted can be explained in part by the links between the current head Amanda Spielman and Michael Gove. The move indicates that the regulator is enforcing a climate in which the state has a say over such minutiae as children’s dress codes and, in an attempt to bring about a state-sanctioned Islam, young girls are now being targeted. Ibrahim Mohamoud, spokesperson for CAGE, said: “This is yet another example of how PREVENT is allowing Muslim children to be selected for special discrimination within the education system. There is no mention of these kinds of measures being taken in the case of other religious groups that wear head coverings. As such, it is wide open to abuse and the application of Islamophobic criteria.” “The policy is a signal that Ofsted has been given exemption from the rule of law, since it is in clear breach of the Equalities Act 2010.” “Such a policy is a further extension of PREVENT, a toxic politically-driven programme that aims to control belief and which teachers themselves have stated has led to a breakdown in debate and trustin the classroom. PREVENT must be completely abolished, as should all policies associated with it.” [END] Notes: Read more about how the neo-conservative agenda is compromising the education system here. Press enquiries: Ibrahim Mohamoud press@cageuk.org CC image courtesy of kilarov zaneit on Unsplash