The imagery could not be clearer. A schoolgirl looks startled. A white hand grabs at her jumper. Another pulls at her hijab. Well integrated – she wears pink nail varnish – and hard working – she clutches her exercise book – she is none the less under attack by a powerful, white adversary.
This photograph, published by the Guardian and the BBC, and used to market a play shown this week at the Edinburgh Festival, conveys exactly the message the writers of Trojan Horse want.
.... There is plenty more evidence that proves Trojan Horse involved a campaign to transform, illegally, secular schools into austere Islamic faith schools. Telling the affected communities – poor, isolated and vulnerable to extremism – that it was instead an Islamophobic plot by government is wrong. Doing so will cause division, undermine faith in the authorities, and promote behaviour that is antithetical to British values. Deliberate or not, Left-wingers in the arts and media risk playing the extremists’ game. Any attempt to rewrite the history of Trojan Horse must not be allowed to succeed. [The Telegraph] Read more
