Two school pupils suspended after ‘ripping up the Koran’ in front of classmates

Two secondary school pupils have been suspended after allegedly tearing up the Koran in front of their classmates.

Fulwood Academy in Preston said that “for reasons we are yet to fully understand” the students brought in copies of the Islamic holy book and “desecrated” it “in front of a number of other students”.

The incidents took place on two separate occasions last week and were carried out by pupils in different year groups.

The pair had no obvious relation to each other, making their actions even harder to grasp, a spokesman for the school told Indy100.

In a letter sent to parents, Fulwood Academy’s principal and chair of trustees said staff alerted police and anti-terrorism officials immediately after the two atrocities took place.

They confirmed that both students had been suspended and that their behaviour “sit[s] deeply at odds with everything we stand for”.

“Fulwood Academy is a place where we strive to develop a culture of respect so that every child can achieve and become individuals our community can be proud of,” the signed letter states.

It continues: “Actions such as this are abhorrent, and have no place in any community.”

Any potential criminal charges are likely to come from the Crown Prosecution Service rather than the police, meaning the matter could take some time to conclude, the letter explains.

The students’ future at the school will be determined “once the police have concluded their work,” it adds.

The statement goes on: “While clearly there need to be ramifications for those involved, it is also vital that we understand what caused these acts, which we have never seen in our school before, to take place as they have.”

It continues: “We are deeply aware that we need to heal the hurt that has undoubtedly been caused, and look at what we can do to support all members of the Fulwood Academy community.”

It ends: “We can assure everyone that we will work together to further strengthen our community and build on deep our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equality.”

People have reacted with sadness and fury to news of the youths’ shocking displays, with Lancashire’s Council of Mosques writing on Twitter:

A Fulwood Academy spokesman told Indy100 that members of the school’s senior management met with local Imams on Tuesday morning to discuss how to move forward.

He said they would be working closely with them to prevent such incidents happening again and resolve the current issue.

Meanwhile, he said, an internal review would ask what the catalyst for the two incidents might have been.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in our school before,” he stressed.

And leaders at the school will do everything they can to make sure it doesn’t again.