A school in Oldham, Greater Manchester has issued a «sincere apology» after footage showing Muslim students praying outside in cold weather sparked outrage within the community.
A video clip showed pupils at Oldham North Academy performing Friday prayers outside the school because a teacher had allegedly «kicked them out of the classroom».
The footage shows about eight boys kneeling with their heads bowed on the sidewalk, while a member of the school staff in a high-visibility jacket appears to be watching them.
After completing their prayer, they stand up and take their belongings.
The tape was met with widespread outrage, with critics saying it was «painful» and «disgusting» to watch.
Oldham North Academy has since apologized and said students were unable to pray inside because severe flooding caused severe damage, meaning 15 classrooms were not in use.
In a statement issued after the clip went viral, the school issued a «sincere apology» and confirmed an investigation had been opened.
They said: «Earlier this week, images on social media began circulating to students at Oldham North Academy praying abroad.
“We would like to offer a sincere apology. We are proud of our diversity and have not and will not prevent students from praying or require them to pray outside.
“While we have always endeavored to provide adequate prayer facilities at the Academy, we are working with Oldham Interfaith Forum and Oldham Council to address the concern this issue has caused.
“At Oldham North Academy, we regard our diversity as our greatest strength. We will always do everything in our power to ensure that our students, staff, and communities have the best opportunities in life.”
A former student who spoke to The Oldham Times said the boys were performing Friday prayers in a classroom when «the teacher told them to leave».
Then the students went outside to perform their prayers in the cold weather because the school did not provide a valid prayer room.
Another report by Asian Image interviewed a schoolboy who claimed to be involved in the incident.
They said a teacher was «angry» telling the group that they were not allowed to pray in the room they were in.
The student said: “We were praying Friday and one of the teachers came and told us that we are not allowed to pray in that room, she closed the door and looked angry.
«We have a prayer room for a long time, the teachers will let us go there to perform our prayers.»
Since then, Muslim leaders in the community have promised to work closely with the school to prevent anything like this from happening in the future.
Oldham Council Chairman Arwaj Shah said: «When we learned of the issues raised at Oldham North Academy, we acted quickly to speak with the school to understand what had happened.
“Having spoken with the school leaders, I am pleased that they have apologized to those who have been affected and will be writing to parents to explain this.
“Oldham is an honorary and diverse district and I know Oldham North Academy sees this as a strength of the school.
«We will continue conversations with the school about this to properly investigate the situation.»
Mufti Hilal Mahmoud, Oldham Mosques Council Development Officer, said: “We will work closely with Oldham North Academy to ensure that such incidents can be avoided in the future.
“We have a strong history at Oldham working together across different communities and faiths.
«We must not let ourselves be divided when issues arise, but we must work through them in partnership to find peaceful solutions.»
Oldham Northern Academy has been contacted for further comments.