A Muslim school in the UK has been forced to temporarily close following reports that female staff members were fired for wearing Western clothes and girls were forced to sit at the back of classes.
An inspection of Al Madinah in Derby on October 1 by UK schools regulator Ofsted was reportedly so damning that administrators felt they had no choice but to close it immediately.
Recent media reports regarding the school, which receives government funding and imposes strict Islamic principles, claimed that one teacher was made to quit after being she had not dressed modestly enough. Staff members said that they had been told to wear an Islamic hijab, even if they were not Muslim.
In a statement on its website, the school’s head teacher said that it had taken the decision to shut down due to an unspecified “health and safety issue”. “I have taken the decision to close the school to primary and secondary pupils until I am confident that all children are safe on site,” said Dr GS Wilson. “Assuring you that we have your children’s best interests at heart.”
The school had previously claimed it was the first Islamic free school in Britain to cover all ages from five to 16.
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