‘Alms’ not ‘arms’: Muslim boy, 11, reported to UK terror watchdog after teacher’s mixup
By ARAB NEWS
(ARAB NEWS) LONDON: An 11-year-old Muslim boy has been reported to Britain’s anti-terrorism watchdog after he told his class he wanted to give “alms” to the needy, which his teacher mistook for “arms.”
A legal challenge issued by the parents against the school states that the teacher had asked what members of the class would do if they received a large sum of money.
The boy, whose family said he is deeply interested in medieval history and described him as “intelligent” and “widely read,” said he responded by saying he would “give alms to the oppressed.”
Alms is another, somewhat archaic, way of describing charity, and it is often understood as being provided by religious people to the most vulnerable and needy in society.
However, the boy’s teacher is said to have panicked and reported the child to Britain’s anti-terror watchdog, Prevent, after mistaking the “alms” for “arms.”
Despite the school acknowledging that the boy is “highly intelligent,” the report appears to focus on the fact that his comments are “non-typical” for a boy of his age.
Police quickly closed the case after determining there was no substance to it, no sign of radicalization or extremism, nor any threat to national security.
The parents’ legal challenge against the school is demanding a written apology, damages, and the expunging of the Prevent referral from the boy’s record before he moves on to other schools.
They claim that the teacher broke anti-discrimination laws by applying a stereotype about his racial and religious background in their treatment of him.
