A 10-year-old Muslim boy is the center of a controversy in Lancashire, England after making an awkward spelling mistake on his English assignment. He mistakenly wrote that he lived in a “terrorist house” when he meant to say he lived in a “terraced house.”
Police searched the boy’s home and laptop the next day after the teacher reported the issue to authorities. Since July, teachers in the town are now legally obliged to report any suspected extremist behavior to police.
His parents are claiming it was an honest mistake and want the cops to apologize as soon as possible because the whole ordeal is stressing the young boy out.
In order to protect the boy’s identity, the BBC is not naming his cousin, who said she initially thought it was all a “joke”.
“You can imagine it happening to a 30-year-old man, but not to a young child,” she said. “If the teacher had any concerns it should have been about his spelling.
“They shouldn’t be putting a child through this.
“He’s now scared of writing, using his imagination.”
The young boy isn’t alone in his plight. There’s a larger issue in the area involving the new laws and school children. Last year, over 1,355 people under the age of 18 were investigated for assorted activities, a huge jump from 466 kids the previous year.
Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, the UK’s largest umbrella group for Islamic associations, said he was aware of dozens of cases similar to that of the schoolboy.
“There are huge concerns that individuals going about their daily life are being seen through the lens of security and are being seen as potential terrorists rather than students,” he said.
Scary times, folks.
[via BBC]