The Very Light Sleeper

While they may lie dormant, anti-semitism and Islamophobia are easily woken and schools must be mindful that hostility directed toward pupils is not underplayed, says Marie Parker-Jenkins...

Recent events in Paris and Brussels have placed the spotlight on Jewish school communities and their need for protection during periods of uncertainty. Similarly, in the UK, Jewish educational institutions have received guidance on how best to respond to potential hostile threats. But the idea that Jewish school communities in the UK may be targets of intolerance and hatred is not a new phenomenon. Examining incidences of anti-Semitism in the 1990s, the Runnymede Commission report called this form of hostility ‘A Very Light Sleeper’.

From our research into nine faith school communities in 2008, we found those based on a Jewish or Muslim ethos to be vulnerable to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia respectively. And in both types of school we found high levels of insecurity. Significantly, we discovered that children, not adults, were the main victims. 

Outside of school and their social community, travelling alone can be a fearful experience for children, doubly so for those identifiable by their race or religion. But it’s not always clear to adults what is going on – especially if hostilities are concealed within the world of children, sparked off by different school uniforms or an incident on the way to school.

In our case study, there were teachers who challenged whether threatening incidents were examples of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia – could it just be normal behaviour among school children? Similarly, there was a difference in opinion as to what constituted hostility or a security issue. For example, adults were typically focused on the safety of the school building or people entering the property without security clearance; verbal bullying and external events were viewed as less of a priority. Children, on the other hand, reported having to deal with verbal abuse outside of school when, for example, travelling on public transport. Male pupils confessed to hiding the school name on their blazers when riding buses or trains because they received derogatory comments about circumcision, or were called “Dirty Jews”. To view this kind of bullying as ‘standard behaviour’ between pupils from different schools underplays the xenophobia experienced by children. While it’s a fine line, it is arguable that bullying with reference to circumcision is a specific attack on a person’s ‘Jewishness’.

Muslim schools can also be targets of hostility and in our research we found a keen desire among staff to keep students safe beyond the front gates. Even though this is in keeping with government guidelines for all schools, we think a higher level of care regarding pupil safety was evidenced, most likely due to the added fear of potential Isamophobic responses from the wider community, particularly after terrorist incidents.

Significantly, like anti-semitism, Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon, and Muslim identities and symbols of Islam are frequently presented as synonymous with fundamentalism, repression of women and extremism. Despite generational and shifting cultural differences, this form of racist activity continues to target people on the basis of their ‘Muslimness’.

Together with fears of hostility is the perception of a lack of acceptance from the outside community. Muslim girls in our focus groups said they were used to being called a “Paki” when in town – having their hijabs or headscarves pulled off and receiving verbal abuse such as “You f…ing Muslim”.

Is it inevitable that children, both Jewish and Muslim, will face this hostility in their lives?  We need to consider how this aggression may be repeated in other ways, and what can be done to curb it. Turning schools into fortresses to protect children from outside aggression cannot be the answer as this only fuels suspicion between faith communities and reinforces the image of public space as a dangerous place. What we need is a concerted effort both in schools and in the wider community to teach the value of tolerance to children and their parents. Teachers and bus drivers should be aware of their responsibility and intervene when confronted with incidents of racial bullying. Standing by passively to watch islamophobia and anti-Semitism erode our society is no longer an option.

About the author

Marie Parker-Jenkins is Professor of Education in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at the Institute of Education.