Several Labour-run local councils in the UK have issued guidance to schools regarding Muslim students’ religious sensitivities in classroom activities, including art, music, and dance.
The advice warns that children’s drawings could be considered blasphemous under certain interpretations of Islamic law, and that music and dance lessons might also conflict with some Islamic teachings.
Entitled Sharing the Journey, the guidelines note that Islamic culture has a long artistic heritage, emphasizing geometry, calligraphy, and patterned design. It warns that three-dimensional depictions of humans—including religious figures such as Jesus or the Prophet Mohammed—may be seen as idolatrous by some Muslims.
Schools are encouraged to consider parental concerns, adapt activities where appropriate, and explore non-representational artistic approaches. Music restrictions vary among Muslim communities, but teachers are advised to allow alternatives to instruments or songs that might conflict with religious beliefs.
Dance lessons, particularly those involving physical contact between boys and girls, are also highlighted as potential areas of concern.
The guidance was first produced in 2022 by local municipal authorities—including Leeds, Calderdale, Oldham, and Wakefield—and has since been circulated more widely, such as by Kirklees, Sefton, and Tameside councils. The religious regulation of previously routine teaching activities has prompted concern over integration, which are now being echoed by international Muslim leaders.
Sheikh Dr Muhammad bin Abdulkarim al-Issa, secretary general of the Muslim World League, described young British Muslims as increasingly alienated and potentially a “national security risk,” while noting that their disillusionment is partly linked to UK foreign policy in the Middle East.
