It highlights the prevalence of discrimination against Hindus in British schools: Report

LONDON: Incidents of Hindu students being bullied for converting to Islam and beef being thrown at others are some of the examples documented in a new report by a UK-based think-tank on Wednesday, which shows anti-Hindu hatred in British schools. A warning has been issued against the outbreak.

'Anti-Hindu Hate in Schools' by the anti-terrorism think-tank Henry Jackson Society found that 51 percent of Hindu parents surveyed said their children had been victims of anti-Hindu hatred at school. 

The report concludes "It highlights the prevalence of discrimination against Hindus in British schools, with 51 percent of Hindu parents surveyed reporting that their child had been exposed to anti-Hindu hatred at school."

The findings highlight the urgent need for greater awareness and understanding of the Hindu experience in schools and further research into the lesser-known types of prejudice that may be manifesting in Britain's classrooms.

Religious education (RE) is compulsory in schools up to the age of 16 in England. The report's analysis is based on survey results from 988 parents about children's experiences at school, as well as Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from 1,000 schools across the country.

Charlotte Littlewood, the author of the report, said that while analyzing violence between Hindu and Muslim communities in Leicester last year in the run-up to an India-Pakistan cricket match in Asia, she focused on schools. The cup was held in Dubai at the end of August.

Littlewood said, "If we want an equal Britain moving forward, we have to tackle all forms of hatred in our classrooms. Report notes that some of the discrimination displayed in the classrooms parallels the expressions of hatred between Hindus and Muslims during the unrest in Leicester." 

It makes a number of recommendations for the government, including the need to record all forms of hate-based bullying, reporting of such incidents, specialized demographics and faith-based training for schools, and greater engagement with the Hindu community.