Teacher told my child that child is not a Muslim

That's assuming that the whole story is true. To me, it has the ring of a hypothetical. And/or maybe it's a weird reverse and the OP is the teacher.

If someone had told me at that age that I wasn't a Christian, I would have linked that with me not going to heaven. So would probably have started crying too!
I think it's a ridiculous thing to say. A child can clearly come from a Muslim, Christian whatever family and consider themselves to be an x. I assume she'd think it fine for a child to say they were a humanist.
I wouldn't let this go acyually, not without a wee word with the Head.

Oh come on - four year olds get emotional over all sorts of things - especially after a long day at school.

When my DD was in reception, she came out of school crying one day because "Mrs X keeps calling me <DD's long name>"

When I, very confused, said "Well - that is your name?!?"

She replied "No, my name is <DDs Short Name>, <DD's long name> is my naughty name"

Because of course we'd always used her short name at home and only ever used her long name when she was being told off for something! I had to go into school and ask them to make sure they used her short name from now on and it is still something she insists on now

What an odd thing for the teacher to say that she doesnt think children can have a religion. Surely lots of children are raised in a set religion and isn't that stated on the school forms?

So this isn't just a thing about Islam, she views all religions the same or both viewing them at all.
So does she think that religious diet requests should be ignored?

Is there the teachers own cultural difference coming into play? Are they from the UK or been raised in a secular school system in a different country?

Here's a further point. She believed her daughter and guess what? She was right to. So the further point is - read the updates!

Teacher’s opinion is odd here I’m afraid, and I would be more concerned, not less, that she voiced this. In what context? When children start school, parents are asked for the child’s religion as this is noted on their school record. If a child is baptised as Catholic or C of E, for instance, then this is their religion. Surely teachers know and understand this. Up to you if you take it further but I’d certainly make a mental note and would not be surprised if these views surface again.

I agree with the teacher but I would never have said it to a child. It's for the parents to decide whether they want to indoctrinate their children with any religion (catholic, jewish, islam, bouddhist). My father was very religious but with my mother he chose not to baptise his kids saying that it was for us to make this decision when we had sufficient critical thinking skills to be able to do so. I'm an atheist but I have told my sons that there are many people who believe in different Gods and they are free to do so as well. It's about respecting their free will.

I agree, plus it should be taken to the HT.

OP I'm sorry, I feel for you. I have not read any comments except yours, from your posts I can guess you're getting flack and that would make me angry. I am not Muslim or particularly religious but I feel every parent has the right to make religious decisions for their child. And that it should be respected. It's a very worrying thing if teachers are trying to remove the carpet from children and make them doubt themselves. It is not just undermining you as the parent and mother. It is undermining the child. And their sense of themselves. A teacher has no right to do that to a child. I feel the teacher is way out of order, and if I were you I would truly take it further. I would at least, at the very least, speak to the head. Because it's not just about your child, that teacher could be harming a lot of other children, regardless of their religion. But I understand if you don't want to, and I just wanted to offer support and a hand hold.

I had the same thing! One of mine was in absolute floods of tears, inconsolable because he really didn’t want to ‘grow up into a human’.

I am amazed that a teacher would say a child can’t have a religion..that is odd indeed. A Catholic child is baptised as a baby and is a Catholic from that point. I am not religious but would have to have argued that point with her.

DH takes BP medication and refers to his tablets as "drugs"

This strikes me as an utterly baffling thing for the teacher to think or to say, @Jkam24. Many children are raised in their parents’ religions - babies are baptised into the C of E or the Catholic Church, and I always thought this meant they were considered to be members of the church family - and I can’t see why it would be any different if you are raising a child in another faith.

I would definitely believe that a child raised in a Muslim family is a Muslim themselves - part of that whole family of faith.

If children ‘have no religion’, why do some children who die have religious funerals? I believe they have a religious funeral because they are part of the family of that religion.

You could be right about that, Catriona. It is very good that the op spoke to the teacher who was most unprofessional.

She has and the teacher did say it

Suggest you check out what was said in reality before you go off on one

I find it very hard to believe that a teacher would say that especially to a 4 year old.

Where did he even here the word 'drugs' and connect it with gummies?

Because it was true. Read the OP's update.

They shouldn't be saying it at all. It's not acceptable at any Key Stage.
If they're new, they would surely be up to speed on all the DEI training?

Yes, I was wondering if they’re a very new teacher, or if this is their first year in Reception. It’s the sort of mistake you’d expect someone to make if they were used to KS2 and hadn’t made the mental adjustment down to ‘barely old enough for school.’

100% need to go to the head.

But its hard to believe anybody any more, there is that much social media bullshit

From what the OP has said, this isn't the case, but my first assumption would be that this wasn't the teacher, but a volunteer or (very inexperienced) TA.

The underlying assumptions about what a 4 year old can comprehend seem very off.

In Y1 my DS told his teacher
"Mummy has left and Daddy is trying to get me to take drugs"
I had gone to London for work for 2 days and DH was encouraging him to take Peppa Pig vitamin gummies .
Fun phone call

I WOULD take it to the head. A good head will not demonise their staff member but will deal with it constructively and calmly.
This was really not an OK thing to say and, again, a good head will know that and will be keen for it not to be thought OK in their school's culture.