Children Faith and Marginalisation

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Children Faith and Marginalisation

• Work in Progress
• Greg Smith
• University of East London
• For Joseph Rowntree Foundation

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• Childrens Perspectives on Belonging to a Faith
  Community
• Known as the Friends, Food and Faith research
  Project
• Working in 3 multicultural schools, 1 in London,
  2 in a Northern City
• Studying nearly 100 Year 5 and 6 children, ages
  9-11
• Looking at social cohesion and social capital
  issues
• Using mainly qualitative methods, observation
  and in depth interviews

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• Paper based mainly on one school in the North
• A Roman Catholic School, serving a multi-faith
  community
• Fieldwork in school over half a term, present
  roughly half each school week
• Year 6 class about to leave for secondary school
• Questionnaires, worksheets, diaries, copies of
  school work, participant observation, taped
  interviews and discussions
• Usually with pairs of children, some individuals
  and small groups

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Family or self belong to any religion(s) by
Gender? Boy Girl
Total Christian 4 9 13 30.8
69.2 100.0 Muslim 7 1
8 87.5 12.5 100.0 Hindu 1 1
2 50.0 50.0
100.0 mixed 1
1 100.0
100.0 Total 13 11
24 54.2 45.8 100.0
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Watch Blue Peter? often sometimes No
Total Christian 1 7 5 13 7.7 53.8 38.5
100.0 Muslim 1 7 8 12.5 87.5 100.0
Hindu 1 1 2 50.0 50.0 100.0
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• Similar patterns of religious attendance
  (everyone had at least occasionally) been to
  public worship, a festival or rite of passage.
• Practice in the home (privately or with family
  members) of some prayer, scripture reading or
  ritual was common across the faith groups but not
  universal.
• Attendance at religious classes was common, but
  for Christians it was occasional, or weekly, for
  most Muslims it was 3 hours daily.

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• In School Time
• Everyone did RE with a multi-faith syllabus
• Christians and Hindus took part in Mass, though
  only initiated Catholics took communion.
• Muslims (and a few Pentecostals) went to do work
  in another hall
• In regular assemblies all were present but
  Muslims did not generally sing
• At lunch separate vegetarian and halal tables
  but many Muslims had packed lunch
• Most Muslims missed the field trip

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• Together as a Team
• The class play Romeo and Juliet
• Reminiscence Therapy for leavers
• Collective social control stopping Tarj getting
  a yellow card
• Valuing diversity..

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Playground Life
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• Main Playground Groupings
• The Lads (included 2 Muslims, 2 Hindus, , 3
  white Christianssporty and fit)
• The Mosque boys.. (6, overtly Islamic, attend
  the Jumma mosque, some were kin)
• The girls (all white, Christian / RC, working
  class.. Link to boys through cute Andrew)
• The inseparable pair, (Pushpa (Hindu) Lily
  (RC) both middle class)
• The isolates.. Charles (fat boy), Val
  (excludable) Taj..(Hindu, joker)
• Best friend pairs, (Andrew/Taj, Robina/Harriet)

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• Are there any other gangs that go around together
  in the class to spend a lot of time together
• the lads..
• Which lads?(in chorus)
• Javed, Jayraj, Andrew, David, Hanif,Parvin,
• Javed, Jayraj, Andrew, David, Hanif,Parvin,
• Mainly all the boys really
• I think that figures with what they've told me
  but what about some of the other boys? You
  haven't mentioned people like Usman, Zaffir
• They like hang around with each other because
  they are trying to learn the whole of the Quran..
  So they just hang around with each other and
  help each other out.. We don't hang around with
  them
• We hang around with all the girls and sometimes
  with all the boys and go to town with them
• (2 White RC girls)

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• Why don't you play with the rest (mosque boys)?
• ..Because they don't want to play with us?
• .I asked . but .they just start
• ..They tell us to ??? off
• Why do think they do that?
• I think it is to do with colour racism
• They don't like white people ..
• But Javed and Hanif and people like that mix with
  you?
• Yes
• It's just the others .. Out in the yard
  when they think we are going to get the ball
  only..Ahmed said a "black b..." that's going to
  be racism isn't it?
• Ahmed is a good friend and Zaffir is a good
  friend out of them lot but the others are not
  our friends.
• I don't argue with them because we'd soon get
  into a fight and get detention
• (2 white RC boys)

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• Muslim Children Outside School
• Time is constrained.. 15 hours in mosque school
  each week
• Friendship and play often restricted to kin
  (cousin-brothers), who live locally and go to
  same mosque
• Neighbourhood segregation and racism/
  communalism also constrains links across
  communities
• Food regulations, and other cultural norms makes
  visiting non-muslims, birthday parties, mixing
  with girls etc. difficult.
• Religious restrictions on TV viewing?

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Why do you think that gang of boys are all
friends.. You know how it is .. it's just us
Muslim boys? Muslim boys? Yes Is that important
for you? We've known each other for ages
likeand.. we are even at mosque in the evenings
together.. Other friends? Zafar.. H.. he is in
high school.. he is from here and he goes to the
same mosque.. and he is in my same class.. so I
play with him in F.. street where I live.. Any
more? His cousin he is the same .. I play with
him he comes to the same mosque as well.. and
then my cousin Adam.. he comes here as
well. (two Muslim boys)
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• Secondary Schools
• Most children are going to the default local
  comprehensive, which is an RC high school.
• For most it preference is about where friends
  and relatives go, where there is no reputation
  for bullying or trouble
• Most children see positive values in having a
  mixed faith intake
• Some Muslim children, (and one Christian) are
  expecting to be sent to a faith school, but have
  some anxieties about it.
• Children dont see much different about church
  schools

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Did you put down any other schools Yes Br. I
didn't want to go there anyway as none of my
mates go there ---------(default high school and
her first choice) is another Catholic school
isn't it Yes but it still got Muslims What do you
think you like the idea of a church school? It's
better mixed ...because you get taught about
their religion And there are fit boys Do you
think it would be a good idea if, say Muslims
have their own schools and Christians No.. .. It
wouldn't be right it's like if they just
separated boys from girls.. That wouldn't be
rightI don (Two White RC Girls)
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• Conclusions?
• In this case study there is some evidence that
  Muslim children are marginalised.
• This may be reinforced by certain school
  practices
• But it is not the case that all Muslim children
  are marginalised
• It is perceived by other children that the
  mosque boys exclude others, and are taught to
  keep separate.
• The mosque boys themselves have a strong and
  articulate Islamic identity.

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• PS We were going to call this paper
• Kids, Faiths and
• Panda
• Monium