Half of all Muslims in Britain want to educate their children in Islamic faith schools, according to a new study.
A report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission said mainstream schools showed a lack of respect towards core principles of their faith.
Mixed classrooms in most state schools, the teaching of the theory of evolution in biology and anger over sex education lessons were the main reasons why Muslim parents wanted to move their children to all-Muslim classrooms.
Some pupils questioned as part of the study, which is published next week, also claimed they faced discrimination by teachers in mainstream schools.
Support for Islamic faith schools comes despite comments from David Bell, the chief inspector, earlier this year that some Muslim schools were a threat to social cohesion because they did not teach enough about other cultures.
But one 30-year-old Muslim woman from Ilford, London, told researchers: “My culture comes from Islam. Things such as boys and girls socialising, undressing for PE together, music, non-Muslim festivals, sex education, taking a non-Muslim as a role model... these all contradict Islam, therefore I do not want my children to find them acceptable.”
A 57-year-old man from Solihull, West Midlands, said some lessons were “questionable in terms of Islam”, adding: “One of my secondary school daughters was recently instructed to construct a 3D bra and knickers for an art project, despite her offer to construct some other 3D object.”
Another mother from Ilford said: “Science is taught without recognising that everything has been created. Evolution is taught as fact [and] young children can be confused.”
The report said there was also evidence of a “culture of insensitivity and even hostility against Muslims” in some schools.
