He explains:
When it came to choosing a primary school for my five children, one thing was clear in my mind: I wanted them to have a broad and inclusive education which allowed them to mix with a wide variety of children. That’s why I decided to send them to a Catholic school. I was lucky enough to have a range of very good secular primary schools near me. But the one problem was that the pupils there were practically all from the Muslim faith. This wasn’t an issue per se, but I was fortunate to have had an education where I mixed with people from all cultures and religious backgrounds, and I wanted my children to have the same. The Rosary Catholic Primary School in Birmingham proved to be the best solution. I was impressed at the diverse make-up of both the staff and the students. But what really made the school appealing was the strong Catholic ethos that was deeply embedded throughout the school. Many people often look confused when, as a fully practising Muslim, I went out of my way to get my children into a Catholic school. Indeed, many people in my own community found my choice of schools strange. But for me it was the perfect fit for my children. First of all, the religious character of the school was not the barrier that many presumed it would be. It was the importance that the school put on faith which meant I knew that my faith and that of my family would be respected.
That’s just for starters. Read the rest.
And today we celebrate...