Undercover camera exposes the hate being taught to Muslim children.
When individuals are taught hatred and violence by learning to disregard any religion that isn’t their own, they often fall prey to believing in and worshipping extremist views because they are wrongfully convinced that intolerance is righteous. Not only is this detrimental to the safety of society, but teaches people at a very young age that violence and terrorism are acceptable in a democratic society.
A fairly recent video, entitled “Undercover camera exposes the hate being taught to Muslim children” shows how professors in a Muslim school in Britain are incorrectly teaching students extremely racist and incorrect information about other cultures.
In the video, one professor falsely stated how Hindus worship “ridiculous” things, namely a cow, as well as rhetorically exclaiming phrases such as “how can anyone worship a cow?”
In the Hindu culture, people do not worship the cow; the cow is simply a symbol of sacredness and people respect it because of its gentleness and ability to provide milk. Ironically, this clearly goes against their inspection report, which stated that “pupils learn about the beliefs and practices of other faiths and are taught to show respect to other world religions.”
The school also teaches the students that any religion other than Islam must be stayed away from, by claiming that “the disbelievers are the worst of all the creatures.”
Muslim children are led to believe that doing common things such as wearing fashionable clothing or getting a nice haircut is “mind control” by society and overall disrespectful in the name of Islam.
Clearly, the students are not falling prey to mind control by society, but rather the teachers at this school. This type of brainwashing and manipulation spreads hatred and unfortunately reflects on the religious intolerance that currently exists.
What are the consequences of teaching intolerance?
1. Dividing communities
When individuals who practice a certain religion are taught to discriminate against anyone who does not practice the same religion, communities of various faiths become divided because there is always a sense of abhorrence and fear amongst themselves. For example, if Muslims are taught that Christians ‘brainwash’ society and Christians are taught that Muslims are terrorists —neither of which is true, there will inevitably be a cultural divide between the two religions. In an extreme case, this can lead to conformity, which is a psychological phenomenon that involves reaching agreement about a topic simply because everyone else in your group is doing it. In the video, a student or assistant who contradicts the professor’s teaching would be considered an outlier, and so they conform to avoid upsetting the rest of the group. This is harmful to a country that is otherwise known for having a melting pot of rich and vibrant cultures.
2. Creating stereotypes about the entire religion
Teaching extremism about a certain faith can be detrimental in the sense that it devalues the entire religion. In the video, an extreme form of Islam was at issue here, yet a significant number of people associated it with Islam as a whole. While I won’t disclose actual commentary here, one can read the comments under the video to recognize how people will react when being seen a negative portrayal of Muslims. We need to keep in mind that this is one school, yet now inevitably ALL Muslims, extremists or not, will be looked down upon.
3. Dangerous for the safety of society
Religious intolerance prevents society from moving in a forward, positive direction because it doesn’t allow for a human civilization where everyone is treated with fairness and respect. Instead, it leads to violence, abuse, terrorism, and cruelty, which one step backward for a democracy.
The UK is known for having a democratic society where individuals from different faiths and religions are respected. Multiculturalism is prominent and migrants are accepted into the nation so that they can add to the diversity and dynamism of countries such as Britain —these are the fundamental values of UK, and anyone who pledges to live there must oblige to these customs. If people practicing various faiths are being allowed to migrate to such a gracious country, there should be no place for extremist views and hatred.
In order to have a shot at transforming our World into an inclusive, safe place for every single individual, we must abolish the barriers that exist between different types of people, whether it has to do with age, sexuality, or religion. To put it simply, we must be intolerant of intolerance.