Fulwood Academy (Preston) – Desecration of the Holy Qur’ān

MEND is aware of an incident that occurred at Fulwood Academy in Preston where students brought in copies of the Qur’ān and desecrated them in front of other students. No child should have their religion and holy books abused like this at their school. This will likely have had a profound effect on the mental health of any Muslim students present.

We commend the school for their swift and robust action in dealing with this incident. We would further welcome strong interventions in the future that would contribute to educating all students about the impacts of hateful behaviour whilst sending a message that such divisive and hateful behaviour will not be tolerated.

Such interventions are reliant upon a thorough investigation into how these incidents occurred, to which Fulwood Academy already appear to be firmly committed. MEND would also recommend that there is an assessment conducted on the impact of this incident on the school’s Muslim students who have undoubtedly been affected, in order to ensure that their needs are being met and that their welfare is being maintained.