A TEACHER and pupils imitated a suicide bomber in a classroom at a Scottish school as Muslim pupils looked on horrified.
The incident at King’s Park Secondary in Glasgow happened hours after eight people died in the London Bridge terror attack and two weeks after 22 people were killed by a suicide bomber at Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert.
A parent of a Muslim pupil complained after their child’s classmates shouted “Allahu Akbar … Boom” as they opened their blazers.
It is alleged that a teacher at the school on the south side of the city then imitated the pupils.
The Arabic term “Allahu Akbar”, which means “God is Great”, is routinely shouted by suicide bombers before detonating an explosive vest.
A council source confirmed that “the phrase was said” but a spokesman for the local authority sought to play down the incident.
He said there is “no evidence to support” an allegation that the incident was Islamophobic but admitted “what did happen was not appropriate” and confirmed an investigation was carried out by senior staff.
A source close to the probe said: “A parent contacted the school after her teenage daughter told her that pupils and a teacher had opened their jackets and shouted: “Allahu
Akbar … Boom”.
“Apparently it was posted on Snapchat (a video streaming social media website). The parent felt that the school should have recorded the incident as an Islamophobic hate crime but she felt the school did not take it seriously so she contacted city councillors.”
A source at Glasgow City Chambers said an investigation found that behaviour in the class “had been poor on the day in question … and included some pupils calling out words and phrases in various languages”.
The source said: “Apparently in an attempt to engage with them, the teacher was involved in repeating a number of words and phrases requested by pupils.
“It is agreed by those present – class and teacher – that the phrase was said, but in that context. The investigation found no evidence to corroborate the allegation that references had been made to terrorism or suicide bombers – and also no evidence that the class had been filmed, or that any footage had been shared.”
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “Senior staff at the school carried out an investigation following a complaint from a parent, but found no evidence to support it. While the head teacher is clear that what did happen was not appropriate, there was no evidence of any Islamophobic behaviour, language or intent.”
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