Islamic schools trust praised for promoting British values ‘faces watchdog questions after branding gay people ”evil” ‘
- Abu Bakr Trust was praised by Ofsted for promoting equality and British values
- Reportedly posted that accepting homosexuality was part of ‘fallen culture’
- The trust also posted a video on Facebook describing LGBTQ as ‘evil deeds’
An Islamic schools trust that was praised for promoting British values is allegedly facing watchdog questions after branding gay people as ‘evil’.
The Charity Commission has launched a compliance case against the Abu Bakr Trust, which runs three schools and a nursery in Walsall, West Midlands, after staff used social media platforms to promote anti-gay views, it is claimed.
While one of its schools was found to be inadequate at the last inspection, another was praised by Ofsted for promoting equality and British values, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
Just months after the inspection last year the trust reportedly posted on Facebook that accepting homosexuality was part of a ‘fallen culture’, and shared a video saying ‘when homosexuality is praised and elevated you know the culture has fallen’.
The video also told followers to engage in prayer for ‘protection against LGBTQ’ which it described as ‘evil deeds’, commenting: ‘My Lord, save me and my family from what they do’.
An Islamic schools trust that was praised for promoting British values is facing watchdog questions after branding gay people ‘evil’, it is claimed. [File image]
According to the Sunday Telegraph, the trust has also shared a video of a Taliban cleric discussing women’s rights following the group’s takeover of Afghanistan, stating that ‘every country is independent’.
The posts seemed to undermine the Ofsted inspection which apparently thought students at Abu Bakr girls’ school ‘talk confidently about tolerance, acceptance and respect’ and that the work in pupils’ books clearly shows that fundamental British values are being actively promoted’.
The disclosure comes at the same time as an online petition to Parliament to ‘remove LGBT content from the relationships education curriculum’ from primary schools surpassed 20,000 signatures.
The Henry Jackson Society, which identified the concerns at Abu Bakr, is worried about a campaign against inclusive teaching in Birmingham, where protests have occurred outside schools in recent years.
The trust, which frequently posts on Facebook, runs three schools and a nursery in Walsall, West Midlands, from which staff reportedly used social media platforms to promote anti-gay views
Charlotte Littlewood, a research fellow at the think tank that compiled the research, said: ‘The efforts of hate preachers, activists, community organisations and even schools to oppose teaching on inclusion and equality in the UK should be a major concern for the DfE.’
A spokesperson for Charity Commission told MailOnline: ‘We have opened a compliance case into the Abu Bakr Trust regarding social media activity and are currently assessing information to inform our next steps.’
The Department of Education has the power to order Ofsted to launch an investigation into independent schools and said that any form of discrimination was unlawful.
MailOnline has approached the Abu Bakr Trust for comment.
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