Islamic schools ban ‘Western’ Harry Potter

It has been reported that several Islamic schools in the United Kingdom are promoting fundamentalist ideology. Students are encouraged to reject Western ways.

Research shows that young students are taught to ban Western culture according to a report in the British Daily Mail newspaper. Cricket, board games, Western music, Shakespeare and even the popular Harry Potter books are considered out of bounds. Denis MacEoin, Professor of Islamic Studies, made a study of hundreds of websites and Islamic sties linked to schools. MacEoin asserts that even though the anti-Western attitude applies to a small number of the hundred and twenty Islamic schools in the United Kingdom this represents a threat to social cohesion. The research study, entitled Music, Chess and Other Sins shows that students are given a negative perspective of Western life. Fundamentalist notions are promoted on the websites in question and some contain links to other sites that advocate jihad. Since the research was published many of the controversial websites have been amended or removed.