A Muslim campaign group has demanded an East Ham primary school’s ban on hijabs “should be withdrawn immedately”.
The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK) has criticised the decision by St Stephen’s, in Whitfield Road, to not allow girls under the age of eight to wear the head covering.
The school’s headteacher, Neena Lall, told the Sunday Times that the changes, which also included asking parents not to make their children fast on school days, had been made to help integrate children into British society.
But Imran Shah, a spokesman for MPACUK, said that he felt the motivation for the ban was “because they fundamentally believe the hijab is at odds with being British and that they think it is a sign of increasing Islamisation”.