Hyderabad school terminates teacher over Islamic homework

A private school in Hyderabad has terminated a teacher and permanently barred her from future employment after allegations that she assigned Islamic religious verses as homework to a Class 2 Hindu student. The incident at Success, The School in the Sayeedabad area has sparked protests, police detentions, and a political controversy.

According to the parents, the teacher, identified as Shaik Aisha Parveen, wrote "Read Surah Fatiha" in the student's diary under the subject "Deeniyath" on July 15. An earlier entry for July 11, which said "Read Kalma," was reportedly struck off. The Kalma is the Islamic declaration of faith, and Surah Fatiha is the first chapter of the Quran. The school management stated that Deeniyath, or Islamic studies, is a subject taught exclusively to Muslim students, who constitute the majority of the school's enrollment, and called the homework assignment an inadvertent mistake.

Following a formal complaint lodged by the parents at the Sayeedabad police station, the school issued a termination letter to the teacher dated July 15. The letter stated her services as a Mother Teacher were terminated effective July 16 and that she was permanently disqualified...