Teacher told my child that child is not a Muslim

[Jkam24]

My daughter has recently started reception and asked me today if our family are Muslims, to which I said yes. She then started crying saying her teacher told her that she (my daughter) is not a Muslim. Is it unreasonable to be angry about this?

1. You can have a calm conversation while setting a boundary. No one suggested it be done aggressively.
2. It was not a misunderstanding, the teacher has confirmed she said a child could not have a religion. Whatever religion you follow, lots of parents would be very unhappy about this comment.

Yes - and before the Brexit nonsense when the racists lunatics took over the asylum, England was perceived as a tolerant multi-cultural society and quite a few of us would like that to be the case again!

The long journey of religious tolerance in this country started informally with Elizabeth 1st's 'Middle Way' in the 16th century, the readmittance of Jews in the 1650s and was first formalised by the 1689 Toleration Act.

From then on religious tolerance gradually increased until Catholic and non-christian religions gained formal emancipation in the 19th century.

In short, since the creation of the church of England, the country has been increasingly tolerant for significantly more time than it has been intolerant!

Perhaps if that is something you don't like then you should leave 🤷‍♀️

How did the census show Christianity was the largest faith?
(Editing to say "wasn't")

Think she meant majority - it's still the largest faith but it is no longer the majority as it is under 50%. The majority is now something other than Christianity or no religion.

By the next census, it is highly likely that no religion will be the biggest group

Teacher is out of line. It’s like she’s missed a chuck of her training somewhere.

It is most likely to be a misunderstanding on the part of your daughter ... she is only 4 after all ... a lot of what adults say makes little sense to them.

I voted you’re unreasonable only because it didn’t happen. Speak to the teacher and get the real story.

teacher has confirmed that she said it

Teacher has confirmed that she said it

Regarding the treatment of women in Islam- there’s a huge difference between cultural practices in certain countries and what Islam actually teaches. When read in context, the Quran consistently emphasizes the dignity, protection, and value of women.

For example:

• Islam gave women inheritance rights, the right to own property, and the right to consent to marriage over 1,400 years ago, at a time when women in many parts of the world had no legal standing.
• The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The best of you are those who are best to their women.”
• The Quran commands men to treat women with kindness- “Live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them -perhaps you dislike something through which Allah brings about much good.” (Quran 4:19)

Yes, interpretations can vary, and yes, patriarchy has affected religious institutions across the board- including Christianity and Judaism. But it’s misleading to call Islam “by far the worst” without acknowledging the impact of colonialism, tribal customs, and misapplication of texts that often shape what people think is Islamic law.

At its core, Islam places immense value on women- not just as daughters and mothers, but as individuals with rights, intelligence, and agency.

I’d also encourage people to read the Quran, but ideally with a reputable tafsir (exegesis) or commentary to understand it within its full context- just as we would with any ancient or religious text.

Religion causes way too many issues. I think keeping children out of it for as long as possible can only be a positive move.

I don’t want my DS sitting in Reception discussing religion. If people want to indoctrinate kids they can do it behind closed doors.

i don't think that is relevant. I respect your view and actually can see good arguments for it, but its not part of the job of a teacher to tell children that they have no religion or are not the same religion as their parents.

I do find it hard to believe that someone would risk their career over something like that.

Hear, hear.

I'm not sure why so many posters seem to be jumping to the conclusion that the teacher must be Islamophobic and/or racist?

From what the OP has said the only conclusion(s) that can reasonably be drawn is that the teacher has an atheistic/agnostic/humanist/Dawkinsist point of view and doesn't believe (rightly or wrongly) that a 4 year old can have any religion - not just Islam

I think it can also be assumed that the teacher is a bit thick or missed out on a lot of their training.

(And before I get criticised this is only my third post on this thread and the OP "loved" my first post...)

Your 3rd paragraph is spot on, @Manxexile . It's absolutely baffling why any teacher would actually do this, no matter what their personal beliefs.

Would you be opposed to Jewish parents letting the teacher know that the child keeps kosher? Or Hindu parents saying child doesn't eat beef?

I think that's a TV series isnt it?

The series followed the characters from the original film. And the film was horrifically violent and racist, so much so that Stephen Graham talks about how difficult he found it to play the role in interviews. (Without spoiling the story, his behaviour doesn't involve telling someone they aren't a particular religion!)

My 4-year-old told me the teacher put her in a cage. They chat an awful lot of shite at that age. Just ignore.

Read the updates. You can go on the OP and "see all" which is a quick way.

Here's another "love" because I totally agree with you.
😊

I can't understand how a teacher with 30 odd demanding children managed to have this conversation.