The lead protester in the row over LGBT equality teaching has been accused of “inflaming tensions” by inviting a controversial imam who claimed anal sex, paedophilia and transgenderism were being taught in schools to a demonstration.
Shakeel Afsar, who has led a long campaign to halt the lessons, was questioned on the third day of a high court hearing to rule on whether an exclusion zone banning protests around Anderton Park primary school in Birmingham should be made permanent.
Video footage of the largest protest, when more than 300 people, including young children, gathered outside the Sparkhill school, showed the imam Mullah Bahm holding up an image of a gingerbread man with genitals.
Bahm shouted allegations that schools had an anal sex and paedophilia “agenda” and called for mass protests, saying there was a need to show “Muslims are not asleep” on this issue.
Jonathan Manning QC, representing Birmingham city council, highlighted other comments made by the imam, from Batley in West Yorkshire, including his description of Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson, the school’s headteacher, as “shatani” (devilish) saying: “That woman needs to be broken.” [The Guardian] Read more
