King Fahad Academy

We, the undersigned, present this open letter in protest at the recent media coverage regarding the King Fahad Academy. It is a sad reflection of some media outlets greed and sensationalism that we must adopt such a measure.

Having been students at the school for many years, we feel there is nobody better than ourselves to comment on the accuracy of the claims made against the school, and those that will surely ensue.

In all our years at the KFA, we have never been taught to hate other religions, nor have we been indoctrinated against other cultures. In fact, the values of morality and respect for others were at the forefront of our education. Family values were instilled from the earliest age, and the fact that many of us remain in regular contact with our teachers and have forged warm relationships many years after graduation is testimony to that effect.

Our teachers made use of many resources in our education, and they made great efforts to prepare us for life in Britain, as part of a society where we can make a real and worthwhile contribution. The image created by the media presents a very unfair and untruthful illustration of an institution whose graduates have been, and continue to be successful students of universities such as Cambridge and Imperial, as well as doctors, solicitors, engineers and bankers, at the worlds finest organisations. The success and integration into society of these Alumni would not have been possible had the KFA been run in the way described by the recent media coverage.

Particularly in the years near graduation, debate was strongly encouraged in our Islamic studies classes, and I think we can all recall a great deal of intellectual and constructive debates and discussions, that in fact promoted a great sense of understanding and tolerance towards others.

Our graduation ceremonies always began with the Saudi and British National Anthems, and portraits of the Queen adorn our walls. Previous guests of our graduation ceremonies have included John Major and Margaret Thatcher, and the school has organised many trips to European destinations. Our sports teams compete with other schools all over London. These are hardly the qualities of an institution driven towards cultural segregation and intolerance.

It should also be mentioned that the simultaneous presence of a British curriculum as well as many British staff would have made it a rather difficult place to run if all these allegations were true. Had the flagrantly distorted information provided by some newspapers actually been true, no member of staff would have tolerated it, and we find it a curious coincidence that the first time this topic comes to surface, it comes from an angry ex-employee. We also wonder why the teacher who found the school so morally repulsive allowed his children to continue being educated at the school until their graduation. We do not know details and so cannot comment on the merits of the case, but we are extremely concerned by the prospect of headline hungry newspapers dictating the demise of an institution that taught us the very values these newspapers accuse it of undermining.

We reject all such accusations and extend our support to the KFA, and all its staff, who will forever be in our memories as our educators and friends.