Sir, – What a sad picture Dr Ali Selim ("Call for State schools to accommodate Islamic beliefs", September 3rd) paints of school life for Muslim teenagers, particularly girls. They cannot take part in the school raffle, in case winning a box of Milk Tray at the school concert should turn them into gamblers. However, that's only a minor detail compared to the more serious issues raised. Muslim girls should not remove their scarves during PE. How could they play properly with this garment getting in their way? Only females should be present in the PE hall. Girls should not be "visible to men" while they play.
But the saddest picture of all is the subject of music. Even those of us who cannot sing (quite a few of us) or play a musical instrument (even more of us) get endless enjoyment from listening to music. Is this simple, but vital pleasure, to be denied to Muslim children?
To sum up, these are the rules: girls, cover yourselves from head to foot; don’t mix with boys; don’t play too boisterously; don’t swim in a communal pool; don’t dance; don’t sing; don’t listen to music; don’t enjoy yourselves; don’t be happy; and don’t be young.
Muslims living in liberal western countries should modernise, or not only will they alienate their neighbours, but also their children. – Your, etc,
MARGARET O’NEILL,
Ardross,
New Ross, Co Wexford.
Sir, – With regard to the recent call for changes to existing state schools to accommodate Islamic belief or new schools set up specifically to facilitate such beliefs, I would like to refer your readers and contributors to the 2011 census. According to it, Islam comes sixth in terms of religious classification numbers (after Catholic, No Religion, Church of Ireland, Not Stated, and Other Stated Religions) and is only marginally ahead of “Orthodox (Greek, Coptic, Russian)” and “Other Christian” .
Even if we draw the “inclusion” cut-off line at just below Muslim (excluding Buddhist, Hindu, Jehovah’s Witness, etc), this leaves six religious and two non-religious groupings which need to have special sectarian accommodations made for them in the education system. And why stop there? What about the health system, the justice system, broadcasting, transport, etc?
With resources scarce enough in education, do we really need to modify our schools as requested? Most Irish villages and towns struggle to keep one school running, without the need for six or eight divided along religious lines, even before we consider the school transport complexities that would bring.
Surely the solution for a multidenominational society are multidenominational schools, hospitals, buses, police, courts, public spaces, and so on. – Yours, etc,
ANDREW DOYLE,
Lislevane,
Bandon, Co Cork.
Sir, – In 2012 Dr Selim’s Islamic Cultural Centre hosted a lecture branding all Irish Ahmadi Muslims apostates. Perhaps we should not leap to the assumption that the Irish Muslim community is monolithic, or that Dr Selim’s unelected organisation should be its sole voice. – Yours, etc,
GEOFF LILLIS,
Iona Road,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – On interacting with professionals (in this case, teachers), Dr Ali Selim states that, “Muslims do not believe in eye contact between members of the opposite sex”. This was “significant for teachers when dealing with Muslim parents”.
There we have it. The mask has slipped. Dr Selim should be asked whether his views are capable of being integrated within a western democracy. – Yours, etc,
MARK McGRAIL,
Highland Avenue,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.