UK school asks pupils not to fast during Ramzan

London: A school in the UK has sparked anger all over the world as it asked its students not to fast during the holy month of Ramzan. The letter, given by  Leyton School, to the parents of the students,  read: “We have sought guidance and are reliably informed that in Islamic law, children are not required to fast during Ramzan, only being required to do so when they become adults.”The Tribune said the school also said that they understood that the age of adulthood was disputed, however, “in Islamic Law, the health of an individual was the first priority.”

The letter further added, “Previously, we have had a number of children who became ill and children who have fainted or been unable to fully access the school curriculum in their attempts to fast.” As the school policy had the same purpose as Islamic law  “to safeguard the health and education of the child” — it would not allow children to fast at the school, advising that older children take part in fasting at the weekends. The rule was also to be implemented at other schools within the Lion Academy Trust. The trust is the governing body of many schools in the UK.

As the decision came under immense criticism from some members of the Muslim community, a spokesperson from the Muslim Association of Britain said that parents had the right over the final choice on their children fasting. “We believe that there are sufficient and stringent rules within Islam, which allow those who are unable to fast, to break fast,” the spokesperson said, adding that the rules included those who were medically ill, too young or too old.

The CEO of the Lion  Trust published on the school’s website saying  if parents were considering letting their child fast during school hours, “you’ll need to meet with your head of school individually to discuss how we ensure the safety and well being of your child whilst still ensuring that they are part of the Ramzan.”