http://www.dailymai l.co.uk/pages/ live/articles/ news/news. html?in_article_ id=
516703
<http://www.dailymai l.co.uk/pages/ live/articles/ news/news. html?in_article_ id
=516703&in_page_ id=1770> &in_page_id= 1770
Muslim school ‘that taught pupils from race hate textbooks made photocopies
after order to shred them’
A London school attended by the children of notorious hate preachers,
including jailed cleric Abu Hamza, poisoned its pupils’ minds with racist
lessons of hate, an ex-teacher has claimed.
Colin Cook, who formerly taught English at the King Fahad Academy in Acton,
West London, told a tribunal how pupils as young as five were taught from
Arabic textbooks describing Jews as “monkeys” and Christians as “pigs”.
Under public pressure, the academy agreed to destroy the books – but not
before photocopying them for future use, he told the Watford tribunal.
Scroll down for more…
He also claimed that headteacher Dr Sumaya Alyusuf had given a false
assurance that the school did not use objectionable parts of the book.
Dr Alyusuf said on BBC‘s Newsnight: “There are chapters from these books
that are used and that will serve our objectives. But we don’t teach hatred
towards Judaism or Christianity – on the contrary.”
But Mr Cook told the tribunal: “I discovered that race hate was being taught
in textbooks at the academy.
“The race hate included test questions asking pupils to list the
reprehensible qualities of Jews and described Christians as ‘pigs’. It was
appalling.”
Father-of-three Mr Cook, 58, of Feltham, is claiming unfair dismissal, race
discrimination and victimisation, which the school denies.
He was earning £35,000-a-year and is seeking £135,000 for lost earnings,
injury to feelings and aggravated damages.
The tribunal heard that pupils at the private Muslim faith school included
the five children of jailed, hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza and those of Abu
Qatada, alleged to be Osama bin Laden‘s right-hand man in Europe.
Mr Cook said that when he queried how the preachers could pay school fees
when they were on state benefits, he was told to mind his own business.
The tribunal heard that some pupils “talked as if they did not live in
London at all”, while some made “inappropriate” remarks about killing
Americans, praised al Qaeda leader bin Laden and the September 11 attacks.
He also revealed how a school party was thrown out of Arsenal Football
Club’s museum when Saudi children fought with other pupils.
The school, which opened in 1985 for the children of Saudi diplomats and is
funded and controlled by the Saudi government, has denied ever teaching
racial hatred.
It insists that the offending passages in the books were “misinterpreted” .
Giving evidence to the tribunal, Mr Cook claimed the school was seen as an
extension of the Saudi embassy rather than part of the UK, with Saudi
teachers enjoying diplomatic immunity.
He said that an Ofsted inspection in March 2006 failed to identify major
issues at the school, including parental complaints, unqualified or poor
teachers and pupil indiscipline and truancy.
Mr Cook claims that he was sacked on trumped-up grounds in December 2006
after he blew the whistle on the school for covering up cheating by children
in a GCSE exam.
Mr Cook said that when he questioned the cover-up, a senior colleague told
him: “This is not England. It is Saudi Arabia.”
The school claims he was sacked for misconduct.
After the Standard’s revelations last February, Dr Alyusuf went on Newsnight
to defend the school.
Mr Cook told the tribunal: “The academy denied that race hate was being
taught. However, eventually under public pressure but still denying any
wrongdoing, the academy agreed to shred 2,000 books.
“I now know that these textbooks had been taught for years to the knowledge
of the current dean Dr Alyusuf and her predecessor. ”
The hearing continues.
