‘Trojan Horse’ Teacher Who Branded Gays ‘Animals’ Loses Religious Discrimination Claim

A Muslim teacher who labelled homosexuals “animals” who should be “eradicated” has lost a claim of unfair dismissal, where he argued he was discriminated against because he is Muslim.

Razwan Faraz, 38, the former deputy headteacher at Nansen Primary School was one of five teachers suspended amid accusations of exercising undue of religious influence at three Birmingham academies.

The teachers were part of the so-called “Trojan-Horse” scandal where radical Muslim allegedly plotted to take control of schools funded by the taxpayer, with aspirations including banning sex education and Christian songs.

The schools were also accused of segregating pupils according to sex, banning the teaching of music and drama, and introducing lessons in Arabic.

Despite the claims, Mr Faraz claimed his dismissal was a result of religious discrimination. Faraz lost his job in 2015 over comments made in a Whatsapp group called “Park View Brotherhood” describing gay people as “animals”.

According to The Times, Mr Faraz insisted he has now changed his views about homosexuality and argued that the comments were an expression of his Muslim faith.

But a disciplinary panel rejected his defence, with his comments described as “demonstrably homophobic”.

A tribunal panel found that his comments “were a significant factor in causing the school to be brought into disrepute”. A judgment also described him as “evasive” and “not a credible witness”.

Despite this, Mr Faraz and five other suspended teachers have been allowed to return to the classroom after an independent disciplinary panel discontinued cases against them claiming government lawyers did not share crucial evidence.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership panel decided they had no option but to stop the hearings for the school leaders accused of allowing undue Islamist influence in state schools.

The first of the two comments Mr Faraz was sacked for was sent in May 2013, along with a link to a newspaper article about gay marriage.

“These animals are going out full force. As teachers we must be aware and counter their satanic ways of influencing young people”, he wrote.

In a separate conversation in September 2013, discussing an article about a shrine in Pakistan being used as a meeting place for gay men, he said: “May Allah further expose this and give us the strength to deal and eradicate it.”