A teacher at one of the state schools in Birmingham, U.K. illegally hacked into a pupil’s phone in an attempt to separate her from her boyfriend because they were in a “forbidden” relationship. In the so-called Trojan Horse plot where Muslim radicals are taking over public schools, the accused confiscated a 16-year-old girl’s phone in April 2014, despite her being over the age of consent, to have its passcode broken and content unlocked so the school could examine them before suspending her.
The school used images and text messages retrieved from the girl’s phone as evidence to suspend her and her friend, weeks before their GCSE exams. Reportedly, the duo was also asked to embark on an Islamic fast before the exams as that would “put them in the right spiritual frame of mind” to take the exams. Upon finding out what had happened, the girl’s mother reported the incident to the police who told her that the interception of private text messages is illegal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
“This was an appalling act of bullying and invasion of privacy,” said a staff member at Park View School, who described the teacher involved as part of a morality police, enforcing conservative Islamic values on pupils.
Tahir Alam, the chairperson of governors at Park View and the alleged ringleader of the Trojan Horse plot has gone on record to suggest, “girlfriend/boyfriend relationships are not acceptable practices according to Islamic teaching and that schools should prepare Muslim pupils to lead their personal and public lives in a manner consistent with their Islamic moral principles and values.”
The Department for Education has been inspecting Park View and 20 other schools in Birmingham. Their preliminary report revealed that girls and boys were made to sit separately in certain classes, with boys being urged to sit in the front and girls being pushed to the back and sides. Apparently, the school is also organizing separate annual sports days for girls and boys on June 17 and 18 respectively.
As far as Park View is concerned, there has been mounting evidence to suggest hardline Muslims have taken control of the governing body, hounding and pushing out secular teachers. A group that identifies as Educational Activists are apparently on a mission to Islamise schools in Birmingham. To make matters worse, five non-Muslim heads at different schools in a certain area have filed their resignations since October 2013. Park View of course has denied most of the claims through a statement.
Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, is expected to shuffle the leadership of Park View and other schools in Birmingham, after the inspections are completed and reports are published in June.
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