Muslims Archives | MelaniePhillips.com

Tolerating the intolerant in the moral maze

October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 MelanieBirmingham, Moral Maze, Muslims, toleration

On BBC Radio’s Moral Maze this week, we tackled the issue behind the controversy in Birmingham where mainly Muslim parents have been picketing a primary school in protest at its policy of teaching children about gay families. The city council has now applied for a permanent ban on protests at the school gates. The parents have been accused of bigotry and intolerance towards gay people; the school has been accused of bigotry and intolerance towards people with traditional religious attitudes. The row illustrates a sharp dilemma for a liberal society:…

Schools are becoming a battle of the zealots

May 28, 2019May 28, 2019 MelanieMuslims, Parkfield primary school, relationships education

In Birmingham, Parkfield Primary School has been under siege. Hundreds of Muslim parents protested against its No Outsiders programme, which taught pupils about LGBT relationships. Similar protests have erupted at other Birmingham schools and spread to other towns and cities. This is a collision between two forms of intolerance. From September next year it will be compulsory to teach primary-school children to respect different types of families, relationships and sexual identities including same-sex relationships and transgender people. The policy is said to reflect the fundamental British values to which everyone…