Abode of Islam.

The article focuses on Muslim schools in Great Britain. Fears have been growing that Britain is facilitating the creation of a radicalized Muslim community in its midst. Politicians have attacked multicultural policies and demanded that Muslims integrate more fully. Among the targets of criticism are Muslim schools. Around 25,000 of the more than 500,000 Muslim children are educated in the country's 100-odd Muslim schools. Alongside subjects from the national curriculum, one private girls' school offers principles of faith, Islamic jurisprudence, Koranic recitation, Islamic history and the study of the life of the prophet Muhammad--as well as Asian cooking, healthy eating and dressmaking. The Association of Muslim Schools UK (AMSUK) says that most of its 108 independent member schools would like to move into the state sector. That would mean they would have to teach the national curriculum and satisfy the government's education watchdog that they offer a fully rounded education. They should also, according to government recommendations, reserve at least 10% of their places for non-Muslim children, although those already in the state sector say that they don't get enough applications from such children to fill this quota. Joining the state sector requires schools to prove that their education and facilities are up to scratch. This is difficult for schools that tend to be run on a shoestring: fees are far lower at Muslim schools than elsewhere in the independent sector, with some day schools charging as little as £ 1,000 ($1,800), and even some boarding schools charging less than £ 3,000 a year. But the government is keen to nudge things along because it feels that the way to keep Muslim schools moderate is to bring them into the heavily-regulated state sector. Even if they stay put, however, they will be watched more closely.