The chain of Peace International Schools in Kerala has come under the scanner once again after police registered an FIR against a branch of the school in Kochi for promoting enmity among different groups on the basis of religion.
What has become controversial is the syllabus which propagates Islamic orthodoxy and nudges the students towards the same.
A few portions of the textbooks of various standards have been leaked by parents and others.
A question in a textbook for Class II students asks,
Suppose your friend Adam/Suzanne has decided to become a Muslim, among the choices what advice will you give?
The choices given are:
- he/she has to change her name to Ahmed/Sara immediately
- he/she is wearing a chain and will need to remove it
- learn the shahada
- runaway from home as parents are not Muslims
- eat halal chicken
Shahada is one of the five pillars in Islam.
According to the website answeringmuslims, "The word ‘Shahada' comes from the verb shahida, meaning “he testifies” or “he bears witness.” In reciting the Shahada, a Muslim bears witness that Allah is the only true god, and that Muhammad is Allah’s prophet."
What is unclear is which textbook was this particular question a part of.
An investigating officer in the case told The News Minute that there were lessons on how to deal with non-Muslims.
Another question in one of the school's textbook read,"Why Islam wins the battles? The answer is Islam wins the fights because it is a sacrifice for Allah," an officer told The New Indian Express.
Police officers have confirmed that many of the portions when read individually may look harmless, but most books in their entirety actually propagate orthodoxy, conversion and terrorism.
According to the school's website, "Peace Public school shall strive its best to instil divine morals and values effectively, while ensuring excellence through an integrated curriculum."
The school headed by Islamic preacher MM Akbar, a man who is known as Kerala’s equivalent of Zakir Naik, has 13 schools under his banner in different districts of the state. In June this year, almost 20 people from Kerala went missing and it was later revealed that they had gone to join the Islamic State.
One of them called Rashid, who had been actively involved in Islam conversions, was a faculty member at a Peace International School. Three others in this group also have links to the school.
The school provides an international curriculum to its students along with "moral and religious studies based on Medeena University curriculum".
Latest reports suggest that other than teaching orthodox Islam, the school also converted six students to Islam.
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