[00:06:47] This is the man who led the investigation into Operation Trojan Horse; the man who updated the Prime Minister, British parliament and media throughout the entire might rightly say that he would struggle to have a completely objective assessment of the matter. 8.11 From this I can conclude that senior officers were aware of practices subsequently referred to in the 'Trojan Horse' letter as early as the end of 2012, and discussions regarding this issue took place between officers and elected members in May 2013. Shocking and, quite frankly, in reading, discoveries are really hope. Nazi Germany's rapid invasion of northern and western Europe in the spring of 1940 deeply shocked Americans. It's hurt some of the country's most vulnerable children. All rights reserved. (SOUNDBITE OF PABLO ASLAN AND CUARTETO PETRUS' "TANGO PARA CUERDAS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. The former born I was found suspiciously about this whole affair is that this dodgy letter suggesting extremists were taken over our schools, nobody ever find out who wrote it or why? Of course, not everybody has the privilege of moving on. The Trojan Horse Affair and the transcript day 2 day today we will listen to episode one of the trojan horse affair and the transcript. [00:15:43] An anti-British ISIS recruiter? For those who have tried to counter misinformation about Muslims, this is a familiar disappointment to take on wild untruths and then realise that even when they are exposed and even partially corrected, little changes. Schools revamped teaches lost their jobs. [00:22:05] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds. The DfE said it was looking into the claim that the alleged plot had targeted 12 schools. The reporters never managed to definitively prove who wrote the letter, or why. Dubbed the Trojan Horse affair, the scandal centred around claims that extremists were attempting to wrest control of Birmingham schools in an effort . [00:05:21] The man tasked with the job of finding out, or at least the man in charge of everyone who was tasked with the job, was a man called Michael Gove. [citation needed]. [00:02:55] The investigators went in for emergency inspections, and In May of 2014 all five Birmingham schools named in the letter had their official ratings downgraded significantly. [00:09:26] In fact, despite all the horror stories and scaremongering about subversive Islamic school plots, four separate investigations couldnt find any evidence of a wider organised plot. Daniel Dickson = Anne. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: It's unsigned, undated. [00:18:39] Were certain school governors like Tahir Alam targeting Muslim teachers for his Muslim-majority schools? [00:04:11] One of the schools at the centre of the controversy, Park View, went from being rated as outstanding to the lowest possible rating despite being the first school in the country to be scored outstanding under new criteria just two years before. Even if no evidence of a plot was found, for people who wanted to believe that there was, this entire scandal symbolised the failures of British multiculturalism and dangers of radical Islam in society. [00:04:55] First, I want to talk about the term, Trojan Horse, second I want to give you some background to multiculturalism in Britain, and thirdly, I want to explain, briefly, how schools in Britain work. [00:00:43] This scandal would be dubbed "The Trojan Horse Scandal ", and it's a story that asks questions about multiculturalism, Islamophobia, journalistic standards, and, ultimately, what is the role of a school. [00:20:52] I would love to know, so lets get this discussion started. [00:07:07] Crucially, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Gove thought the educational investigations didnt go far enough and he asked for a former counter-terrorism expert, a man named Peter Clarke, to lead another investigation. So keep a lookout for that one next week.. Rivana Darr. Since the Trojan horse story, there have been others about no-go areas, where those not of the faith dare not tread, and of sinister, proselytising Muslims adopting and Islamicising Christian children. For Terry Gross, I'm Dave Davies. How a doctor-turned-journalist worked with a veteran audio reporter to create a podcast about a mysterious letter that riveted Britain. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. That was the official verdict.. [00:02:23] And they didnt just investigate schools in Birmingham, or the schools named in the letter, but schools in Luton, Bradford and parts of east London, areas with large Muslim populations, and areas, I should stress, that had nothing to do with the original letter. These lies stick, and they work, and they mean that concerns about Muslims behaving badly in schools will always be seen as an issue far graver than the dangerous irresponsibility of government officials making politically divisive hay with a fake letter. You listen. The only way to describe the feeling is to say that it is the opposite of gaslighting ungaslighting, if you will. [00:00:29] It was a scandal that all started with an anonymous letter, but developed into a national scandal, appearing on the front pages of every national newspaper, and calling for a response from the Prime Minister. [00:16:43] Essentially, his hypothesis, his plan, was that communities should have more control of and better reflect their schools. Was it an enemy of Tahir Alam? But who wrote it? [00:08:36] Well, the report, which was released later in 2014, concluded that there was, and Im quoting directly, "no evidence of terrorism, radicalisation or violent extremism in the schools of concern in Birmingham., [00:08:52] However, the report did find, and again I'm quoting directly, "evidence that there are a number of people, associated with each other and in positions of influence in schools and governing bodies, who espouse, sympathise with or fail to challenge extremist views.. The choice of Clarke was branded desperately unfortunate by West Midlands Police Chief Constable Chris Sims, according to the BBC. [00:08:11] But why this is relevant for our story is because of what this means in terms of education, schooling for children. ", [00:03:44] We have caused a great amount of organised disruption in Birmingham, the mystery writer bragged, and as a result we now have our own Academies and are on our way to getting rid of more headteachers and taking over their schools.. The atmosphere that fed such lies is still here. [00:06:19] In the 1950s and 1960s, Britain, which was still recovering from the ruinous effects of the Second World War, invited thousands of people from its former colonies to come and live in the country. [00:19:05] Had the schools become more Muslim because this would lead to better results for their pupils, or was it done because of some wider, Jihad reason? Chris S Friel I pay attention to the text of the 2013 Birmingham Trojan Horse letter, on the face of it a covert plan by radical Islamists to take over schools in Birmingham by intimidatory methods, but widely regarded as a fake. From Serial Productions and The New York Times, The Trojan Horse Affair, an investigation that became bigger than we ever imagined. Summer heat soars this coming weekend. Listening To Podcasts Will Help You Speak English BetterAnd Weve Got the Science Results To Prove it. [00:03:28] The plot, which the letter claimed was a five-step plan called Operation Trojan Horse, was already well underway in Birmingham and, I quote, totally invisible to the naked eye. It failed both whistleblowers with ostensibly legitimate concerns by not treating their complaints in a responsible, targeted manner, and British Muslims as a whole, who have to live even now with the stain and notoriety of an apparent Muslim plot to take over schools that has now passed into lore. [00:01:42] The post had just arrived at Birmingham City Councils office. Whereas, like, if you're doing a story where you personally want to know the answer to something, you personally want to do the best story you can, then that's, like, where I try to derive the motivation from, you know? UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Didn't even look like a serious document, did it? [00:06:33] Millions came, especially from places like India, Pakistan, and the West Indies, the Caribbean. [00:10:07] These cases were eventually thrown out, they were dismissed in 2017, and in the end only one teacher, the former headteacher of one of the primary schools named in the letter, had any actual charges made against him. Anybody. [00:18:01] For others, the whole thing was a media-generated moral panic and represents how British Muslims, and the British-Pakistani community in particular, are viewed. 52 ideas that changed the world - 51. [00:13:20] In fact, this podcast series ended up opening up the scandal again, and, as sometimes happens, the two reporters actually became characters in the story. [00:17:06] Whats the real story, or meaning, behind so-called Operation Trojan Horse and what does it tell us about British society more broadly? [00:18:54] Well, nobody, including Alam, really debated what changes had been implemented in these schools, but the scandal was about the motivation for these changes? Woolen Draper. It's been fun, but also it's really changed the way. [00:17:58] The school went from being one of the worst in the country to one of the best, and went from a 5% to a 70% pass rate in key exams., [00:18:09] When the British school inspection body, OFSTED, visited the school it concluded that every school in the country should be like this., [00:18:20] In fact, Park View was even complimented for its wide range of opportunities for spiritual development, including voluntary Friday prayers.. A mysterious letter detailing a supposed Islamist plot to take over schools shocked Britain in 2014. [00:19:17] Clearly, better results for students are a good thing, but this letter placed a seed of doubt in many peoples minds.. Here's what the team found. [00:11:51] And for people like Tahir Alam, who was accused of undermining fundamental British values, their careers and reputations were ruined. But despite the podcasts huge popularity, it will still make little difference where it counts. Why was the Trojan Horse Letter written? [00:03:33] Well, this school regulator gives marks to schools based on all sorts of criteria, not just exam results. [00:15:00] Their suggestion is that there was a legal dispute between a headteacher and her teaching assistants, and that creating another scandal would distract from the legal dispute. [00:15:12] If that is indeed the truth, then it is quite undramatic., [00:15:17] There was no Islamic conspiracy in the first place, and in fact, there was no anti-Islamic conspiracy behind the letter, it was simply a case of a headteacher having some personal difficulties that she wanted to go away.. A study by researchers at Birmingham City University in 2014 found that 90% of Birminghams Muslims felt that community cohesion was damaged by the way the affair was handled, reported Channel 4 News. Some people were banned for life from education. Mark and Rizwana were close, both professionally and personally. [00:06:41] With this huge influx of immigration, Britain, and especially British cities, started to become increasingly diverse, with parts of some cities where ethnic or religious minorities are not the minority, but the majority. I didn't do this investigation alone and I don't tell the story alone. It is very biased. You see there was this strange unsigned letter that wreaked havoc in England some years back when all the way to parliament and the Prime Minister, this letter had huge repercussions for the country and yet no one ever figure who wrote the letter. She sounds like a good Muslim headteacher and determined in improving standards. The document was a photocopy of a letter, which seemed to be part of a correspondence between Muslims conspiring to take over local schools and run them according to strict Islamic principles. [00:05:59] Even before the Trojan Horse affair, Gove had long had an interest, lets say, in Islam. [00:21:18] That, my dear listeners, is a question we will try to answer in part two.. The other incidents of malpractice within schools is a problem that should be specifically and forensically addressed, but should not be weaponised to feed into fears about Muslims as a whole. (March 2022) Trojan script is a series of signs of unknown origin found on vessels from Troy excavated by Heinrich Schliemann 's expedition. Im also pretty certain that even if you told those people that the main allegation that there was an organised plot to take over schools in the UK and run them to strict Islamic principles was debunked, they would still think: well, theres no smoke without fire. Listening To Podcasts Will Help You Speak English BetterAnd Weve Got the Science Results To Prove it. [00:20:15] I should say, as a final message, that if you think this sounds like an interesting story, and you would like to listen to 8 more hours about it, then you can listen to the Serial podcast I mentioned. Michael Gove was education secretary at the time of the scandal, Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images. It's about a letter that surfaced in my city and had huge consequences for Britain. The events once again under review are historical, but its a mistake to believe they are behind us, for the atmosphere in which the Trojan horse conspiracy thrived and flourished, is much the same today. At the time, the chair of Park View Educational Trust, Tahir Alam, said that Goves demotion provided some reassurance that the Prime Minister has finally acknowledged the profound damage that has been caused by his divisive approach, said Sky News. And I feel like it can have all sorts of byproducts, like changing people's minds. [00:02:43] In Birmingham, which was the focus of the investigations, OFSTED investigated more than 20 schools they suspected could have been vulnerable to radical Islam. It is a good listen, although some of the accents are quite tricky to understand. The letter looked to be a secret communicate between islamic extremists who had been infiltrated the city schools, suppose it plop called operation Trojan horse. 16 July 2015. Get immediate access to a more interesting way of improving your English, Subtitles will start when you press 'play'. All eight parts are available now, wherever you get your podcasts. That is where there is both smoke and fire. The "Trojan horse" letter itself was quickly discredited as a fake, but the allegations it contained took on a life of their own. [00:11:32] There were claims of homophobic and misogynistic comments from teachers, and even that anti-western speakers had been invited to speak to the children. I'm Emily Hanford. This was one of the worst-performing schools in the country. [00:19:59] Ok then, that is it for part two of this mini-series on the Trojan Horse affair, a complicated scandal that all started with a mystery letter but became a frenzied debate about Islam and social integration in Britain. [00:08:42] There are secular schools, schools where no religion is officially taught, and there are religious schools, so-called faith schools, which follow the national curriculum, but provide classes about the religious teachings of one religion - they could be Anglican, otherwise known as the Church of England, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, and so on. would want to get hitched in church the bible is quite specific that marriage is for (SOUNDBITE OF PABLO ASLAN AND CUARTETO PETRUS' "TANGO PARA CUERDAS"). Solve the mystery of the letter writer, and perhaps, you'll be able to rectify the effects of the letter once and for all - or at least that's the hope. Trojan script is a series of signs of unknown origin found on vessels from Troy excavated by Heinrich Schliemann's expedition. The podcast has itself became a second act in the Trojan horse scandal, because its findings are still resolutely denied by the main players implicated, from Michael Gove to the media establishments that played their part. deaths to hosting seven-day hackathons. There's an air of a road-trip movie to the proceedings. [00:08:11] And why, many people asked, did the letter seem like a caricature of Islamist extremism? [00:12:58] The next step was to cause problems from within the schools by approaching teachers sympathetic to the plan, and slowly change rules and challenge any colleagues who got in the way, or opposed them. The media spent months writing stories about this Trojan Horse plot, and there was significantly less time spent reporting on the fact that there wasnt actually a plot at all., [00:11:32] To many British muslims, it seemed like the government was determined to find evidence of an extremist plot in British schools, and when there was no evidence of any such plot, the government sort of shrugged its shoulders and moved on.. This letter launched four government investigations, changed our national policy and ended careers. Thank you. Give you clue. The 'Trojan Horse affair' explained How a hoax letter about an Islamist plot to take over schools in Birmingham sparked a media frenzy and Islamophobic backlash in the UK The central mosque. [00:21:35] Part two of this little exploration is going to come in two episodes' time. [00:09:50] Now, back to our story, back to Birmingham, and in fact, back to a particular area of Birmingham called Alum Rock, which is an inner-city suburb of Birmingham. [00:03:43] And what they found, the inspectors believed, was cause for serious concern. Raising concerns about your own Muslim community is a traumatising and difficult task; doing it in an atmosphere of Islamophobia makes it doubly fraught, because amid that toxicity, two impulses compete the wish to prove Muslims are up to no good, and the equal and opposite desire to defend Muslims comprehensively because they are always assumed by critics to be up to no good. A sceptic might rightly say that he would struggle to have a completely objective assessment of the matter. What we have are two completely different categorisations of events. [00:16:33] When Tahir Alam became governor of the school, he set about implementing a new educational policy. In the letter, the author referred to " Operation Trojan Horse ", a plot allegedly conceived by Muslim groups that had been responsible for ousting four head teachers in Birmingham schools and installing governors who were more sympathetic to Islam. Clarkes investigation found no evidence of terrorism, radicalisation or violent extremism in the schools, The Times said. Scale by Selected Demographic, Residential History, Social Support, Social. Known as the Trojan horse affair, referring to a phrase used in the letter, the scandal is generally recalled in the country these days as a mess best kept in the past. [00:04:21] But then came perhaps the most chilling line in the letter, the one that set in motion a national panic. find the Trojan horse affair and subscribe. I fear that it would be a pitiful number. [00:19:50] And this was around the same time that the Islamic State was winning territory in the Middle East and carrying out deadly terror attacks in Europe. Critics have said that the Trojan Horse scandal had a disastrous impact on community relations in the UK and helped stoke Islamophobic sentiment to new heights, according toMiddle East Eye. men and women if that the video had in fact brought the company into (applause) (Music) This is the sixth and final episode of Sold a Story, a podcast from American Public Media. [citation needed]. But was the Trojan Horse Scandal real? [00:20:55] These Muslims plotting in Birmingham, they said, were un-British, a threat to British society from within, a 21st-century Trojan Horse. But Clarke said that his investigation was not tasked with exploring whether the letter was genuine, but whether the events and behaviours described have actually happened, the BBC reported. [00:01:57] Normally these letters arent particularly interesting or important - Dear local council, please fix the broken lightbulb on my street, Dear local council, I would like to volunteer to start a community club for kids, you get the picture. View our Current Membership Thank You Gifts. With the letter came a note saying that this letter had been found in the sender's bosss office. You feel the excitement of excavating a new document, a new lead, a new name. 11 Reasons That Listening to Podcasts with Transcripts (and Subtitles) Will Help You Improve Your English, The Ultimate Guide To Improving Your English Listening: A Step-by-Step Guide + 9 Listening Activities. Click here to contact members of our team directly. All you need to know about everything that matters. [1] Their status is disputed. Education secretary Michael Gove arrives at Downing Street in June 2014 to discuss the allegations with the then prime minister, David Cameron. It was the scandal that rocked the nation and sparked conversations about multiculturalism, Islamophobia, journalistic standards, and the role of a school. The so-called "Trojan Horse" letter came to light in March 2014, prompting four major inquiries. If you cannot see that, it is because the fire is not burning you. gradually been expanded from carers of children under the age of six (or . (SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE TROJAN HORSE AFFAIR"). This is where the podcast begins its inquiry. In 2014, an anonymous whistleblower leaked to the British press a photocopy of what appeared to be a secret communique, one that supposedly revealed an Islamist conspiracy to take over schools in the English city of Birmingham. [00:01:49] What if the letter was a fake? WEBSITES FOR This writing systemrelated article is a stub. [00:18:30] Alam hadnt tried to hide the policies he had put in place - he had even been invited to Downing Street to be congratulated on the results that had been achieved in the school. The strategy was to identify vulnerable schools where most of the pupils are Muslim before identifying a group of sympathetic parents to agitate for an Islamic agenda, The Guardian said.
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