Friday, 8 November 2013 - 16:02
Islãmic school Rotterdam to accept students
The new Islāmic school in Rotterdam, The Opperd, has to admit four of the five students who went to court over the refusal of the school to admit them.
Only the 16-year-old girl Saliha, who is a co-defendant in the exam fraud case at the now bankrupt school Ibn Ghaldoun, does not need to be accepted.
The court in Rotterdam determined that Friday. The Opperd, specifically founded for pupils of the former Ibn Ghaldoun, refused three students out of fear they will be bullied, because one of them and another sister are suspected of involvement in the fraud.
Islamic_school_girls
Yaakov Shoham
Wikimedia commons The school did not allow the other two children, because their parents fiercely resisted the establishment of the new Islāmic school. In the other case, the court established that the parents were committed to maintaining Ibn Ghaldoun, for instance by handing out flyers. That does not mean they oppose the basis of the Opperd, according to the court. The parents feel the Opperd is 'second best', according to the verdict. The parents do not need to sign a contract in which they not only promise to commit to the character of the school, but also promise to refrain from speaking to the press. That violates their right to the freedom of speech, states the judge. Board member Wim Littooij regrets the decision of the court. It is unfortunate the court did not recognize the school's argument in the interest of the students. If it turns out these students need to find a new school after all, it will be very difficult, according to Littooij.
Yaakov Shoham
Wikimedia commons The school did not allow the other two children, because their parents fiercely resisted the establishment of the new Islāmic school. In the other case, the court established that the parents were committed to maintaining Ibn Ghaldoun, for instance by handing out flyers. That does not mean they oppose the basis of the Opperd, according to the court. The parents feel the Opperd is 'second best', according to the verdict. The parents do not need to sign a contract in which they not only promise to commit to the character of the school, but also promise to refrain from speaking to the press. That violates their right to the freedom of speech, states the judge. Board member Wim Littooij regrets the decision of the court. It is unfortunate the court did not recognize the school's argument in the interest of the students. If it turns out these students need to find a new school after all, it will be very difficult, according to Littooij.