Hindu Child's Forced Conversion Case In London Reflects Broader Pattern of Anti-Hindu Hate In British Schools Identified In Think Tank Report

In June, a Hindu couple living in London, UK, raised an alarm over their seven-year-old son being subjected to bullying over his religious identity and coerced into converting to Islam at his school.

The parents accused three students from their son’s classes, who were about the same age.

After about a month-long investigation into the matter, the school has reportedly suspended the three students, although Swarajya could not independently verify the claim of suspension.

This incident is part of a broader pattern identified by a UK-based think tank last year. The study found that Hindu students frequently face communal hate, derogatory remarks, and pressure to abandon their religion from their Muslim peers in schools.

How the matter came to light

The issue came to public attention in June when a UK-based volunteer group of Indians named REACH published a message from an anonymous Hindu couple on their X (formerly Twitter) account. The couple lives in Hounslow and their son, aged seven, studies at Springwell Junior School in Heston.

The post said that three children in their son’s class tried to convert him to Islam, putting repeated pressure.

The long post read:

“Recently, after picking my son up from school, he mentioned that McDonald's is not halal and that we shouldn't eat there. As a vegetarian Hindu family, I explained to him that we only eat vegetarian options and generally avoid fast food for health reasons.

"Later, my son told me his friend Yahya said that eating meat makes you strong and eating halal makes you even stronger. Concerned, I reported this to the headteacher, who assured us they would monitor the situation.

"At home, my son expressed a wish to be Muslim so he could eat chicken. That same day, my wife called to tell me something even more alarming. My son said Yahya told him to say "Bismillah" (an Islamic phrase) and change his name to Mohammed, or Yahya wouldn't be his friend.

"I immediately contacted the school and spoke to the deputy headteacher. The next day (14 June 2024), the headteacher interviewed all the children in my son's class. We were called in at noon and were shocked by the findings:

- My son was asked if he was comfortable being called Mohammed, and he said he had no problem with it.

- My son was forced by another classmate to cut his religious wristband, which he wore after visiting the temple.  A Muslim classmate, whom my son considers a friend, told him he had to cut it to remain friends and even helped him cut it with scissors.

"My son felt pressured by his friends to comply with their demands or risk losing them. The headteacher took immediate action, suspending three students and calling their parents for a meeting.

As a parent, this incident has caused me significant stress. I need assurance that such incidents will be prevented in the future and that these sensitive matters will be closely monitored. I decided to share this to make everyone aware and ensure our children are safe and respected in their beliefs.”

Action taken by the school

The report, by a website named Ealing Nub News, says the Hindu parent shared email correspondence between him and the school headteacher, Kamaljeet Grewal, acknowledging the situation.

One of the emails, as per the website, showed the school telling the parent that “the school is actively working to create a safe and inclusive environment” and that “we have policies in place to prevent grooming, indoctrination, and pressurisation related to faith or ideological beliefs.”

The website also spoke to the parents, who chose to remain anonymous to not protect the identity of their child.

The parents told the website that the matter was resolved by the school by suspending the three students, and they had been informed about it.

Reacting to the entire episode, the parent said, "I love any religion. It's not the problem. But what I am worried about is that those kids who have been taught like this by their parents or someone." 

He added, "We never talk about any other religion at home, not even our own religion. We just keep it to us adults, especially with kids." 

Related study by a think tank

Last year, a study by a UK-based national security think-tank published a report titled ‘Anti-Hindu Hate in Schools’.

The study found that Hindu students in the UK are often targets of bullying for their religious beliefs, with Muslim students telling them to change their religion.

They use the derogatory term ‘kaffir’ for the Hindu students and show the fear of ‘hellfire for disbelievers of Islam.’ Hindu students also face constant mocking for their vegetarianism and the deities they worship.

The survey was based on accounts shared by 988 Hindu parents across 1,000 schools across the UK.

According to a parent who was interviewed, their daughter had beef thrown at her. Another said his son had to change East London schools thrice after facing anti-Hindu bullying.

Yet another parent said that Hindu children were told by their peers to watch videos of Zakir Naik (wanted in India) and “to convert because Hinduism makes no sense.”

The report found that it was the quality of teaching on Hinduism that was repeatedly raised as a key concern by the surveyed parents.

"Concerns centre around Hinduism being taught through an Abrahamic faith lens, affording inappropriate weight to ‘Gods’ and misunderstanding the key concepts. The misconceptions are said to be a direct cause of bullying in the classroom," the report said.

The report supported recommendations by the Commission on Religious Education that "there should be a statutory, national approach to teaching religious education subject to inspection" with "a wider lens on the subject that avoids a purely Abrahamic framework."