A campaign by two pushy Muslim governors to give Islam a greater presence in a state school played a key part in forcing a successful head teacher from her job, the High Court found this week.
Erica Connor, 57, the former head of the New Monument primary school in Woking, Surrey, was forced to leave the school because of stress after she was scapegoated and accused of "Islamophobia". Other teachers who fell prey to the discord stirred up by the Islamic pair, suffered anxiety, low morale, or chose to take early retirement.
The High Court ruled on Thursday that Surrey County Council had failed in its duty to protect the head teacher and to intervene when the actions and conduct of the governors created problems in the school’s governing body. Awarding her £400,000 in damages, the court said the authority's failure to protect Mrs Connor from these religious zealots had led her to suffer serious depression and a trauma-related stress disorder.
The court was told that over a period of two years, the governors' campaign to make the school more Islamic had torn apart the school’s governing board. Paul Martin, a Muslim convert, tried to stir up disaffection in the community against the school and Mumtaz Saleem was verbally abusive in school meetings. Judge Leighton-Williams said the men had actively pursued an agenda to increase the role of the Muslim religion inside the school, which prior to their arrival had seen improved academic results and had enjoyed harmonious relations with local Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Mr Martin, who had no children at the school, was finally voted off the governing body in June 2005. He complained that he had been "removed for blowing the whistle on institutional racism".
This provides further proof – if any further proof were needed – that:
1) When Muslim zealots shout "Jump!" our politicians and petty officials reply "How high?"
2) Muslim converts are often more zealous and disruptive than those born into the religion.
3) The charge of "racism" against those who stand up to Islamist bullies is a nonsense. Beliefs have nothing to do with race, with white Muslim converts often the worst kind.
4) All too often, sectarian religous bigots can hold the education and future prospects of all our children – Muslim or otherwise – to ransom.
To many other European nations, the UK is a laughing stock – and justifiably so. Let's hope that this week's High Court decision marks a turning point in the muddled multiculturalist policies that make public bodies like Surrey County Council so spineless in tackling rampant Islamism.
