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Issue 183, Friday 30 July 2004 - 12 Jumad al-Akhbar 1425

Kensington parents win halal meal row

By Elham Asaad Buaras

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Governors of Bevington Primary School in North Kensington have finally backed down and provided halal meals for their pupils. The Borough and school had initially refused to provide halal meals for its pupils, despite the fact that at least 70% of the children are Muslims.
After six years of negotiations parents and local politicians were still unable to convince the school to provide their children with adequate meals. Due to the school’s discriminatory policy most of those children were unable to eat meals they were provided with. This meant that over 70% of the children in the school were forced to bring packed lunches to school, creating an unnecessary financial burden on the parents.
Many other schools in the area had been providing halal meals for over five years in order to meet the requirement of their pupils.
Christian & Khan Solicitors (CK) were instructed to act on behalf of the parents in judicial review proceedings. An application was lodged with a request that the matter be considered urgently by the High Court as the failure to provide halal meals provisions was causing on-going prejudice to many children.
It was argued that on the basis of the above the failure to provide a halal meals provision indirectly discriminated against the Muslim children and also breached their article 8, 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 9 being the right to express religious belief. The hearing was listed on June 9. Under mounting pressure the school backed down and served its first halal meal on June 8.
In a statement to The Muslim News, CK said, “Despite the fact that the policy was both discriminatory and detrimental to the majority of its pupils the primary school rigorously resisted adapting to its pupils needs.”
One of the parents said, “I’m delighted that the rights of the majority of children at our school have finally been recognised, but it’s a big shame that after years of attempted diplomacy and negotiation I had to issue legal proceedings, and a day before the hearing halal meals were served at the school.”
He added, “My daughter is actually leaving the School this month (July) so I had nothing to gain except the satisfaction that all the other Muslim children who remain at the School will continue to receive their rights, and obtain a healthy diet at school. I’d really like to thank the Moroccan Community Welfare Group (MCWG) and my solicitor, Shazia Khan (CK Solicitors) for their support and perseverance.”
The MCWG Dar Al Arqam was requested by many parents in 1998 to represent them in voicing their concerns, and liasing with School. The Organisation provided Bevington School with specialist information about the dietary requirements of Muslims, and presented them with a research case study of how neighbouring schools had introduced Halal meals. When community consultation was rejected the MCWG wrote numerous letters of complaint on behalf of parents to the School’s Board of Governors and the Education Department explaining why the meals provision at the School was inadequate and discriminatory. Again this process was ignored and dismissed by both parties.
In a statement to The Muslim News, Project Coordinator for the MCWG, Rachid Choaibi said, “The way Muslim parents have been treated by the School and the Education Department is absolutely appalling. In today’s world to lack understanding of a community’s essential needs is unacceptable, to totally ignore their rights is completely scandalous.”
Kensington and Chelsea Council refused to be held accountable. In a statement to The Muslim News, the Council said, “All local authorities are expected to delegate the maximum amount of responsibility to schools. Responsibility for school meals therefore rests with governors who are free to provide school meals as they wish, taking account of legal requirements. The cost of school meals is met from schools’ delegated budgets.”
Speaking to The Muslim News, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, Dr A. Majid Katme, said, “We are happy that the Court has respected our Religious right and need for halal food for our Muslim children in the school. We are happy too that the school has finally agreed to provide halal meals to the Muslim children in the school.”