Sydney, 8 Sya’ban 1436/26 May 2015 (MINA) – Seeking better education for their kids, a growing number of Australian Muslim parents were enrolling their children in Islamic schools, seeing it as the best way to avoid bullying and harassment they face in state schools.
“Academic focus is one of the reasons parents choose our schools but mainly it’s the values we provide, and the religious education,” Abdullah Khan, president of the Islamic Schools Association of Australia (ISAA) said, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
“Some schools, academically, are performing really well.”
Statistics revealed by Federal Education Department showed that 28,267 students attended Australia’s 39 Islamic schools last year.
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The number indicates an 82 percent increase from the 15,503 who were enrolled in 32 schools in 2009.
On the other hand, the number of students enrolling in Australian schools grew by 6 percent over the same period.
In six schools controlled by Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, which receives 80 percent of funding from government along with other Islamic schools, the past five years witnessed a 53% increase in enrollment as well.
Khan said yesterday only three out of four Muslim students in Australia attended public schools.
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He explained that the rise in enrolments at Islamic schools as a direct result of the Muslim population growth.
Tasmanian teacher Peter Jones, who spent time in most of Australia’s Muslim schools to research his thesis on Islamic education, had another opinion, referring the rise in enrolments to bullying Muslim kids face at schools.
“Many parents and students felt the kids were more sheltered in these schools,” he said.
“They felt a bit more protected from the community because of hostility. People have been pulling their hijabs off and spitting at them.”
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Muslims, who have been in Australia for more than 200 years, make up 1.7 percent of its 20-million population.
Islam is the country’s second largest religion after Christianity.
In post 9/11 Australia, Muslims have been haunted with suspicion and have had their patriotism questioned.
A 2007 poll taken by the Issues Deliberation Australia (IDA) think-tank found that Australians basically see Islam as a threat to the Australian way of life.
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A recent governmental report revealed that Muslims are facing deep-seated Islamophobia and race-based treatment like never before. (T/P006/R03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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