Judge orders father to not impose religion on his children

A Muslim father of three kids in the foster care of a Christian family was told by a judge to not put "pressure" on them about Islam. The three children – two sons and a daughter, all under the age of 16 – have been under the care of the foster family since 2011, reports the Independent. The 53-year-old father has seen his kids only twice since then. In 2015, he signed a court document seen by the Manchester Evening News in which he agreed not to talk about Islam. The ban has since been softened, but only on the condition he talks about his religion in a "non-pressuring way". The man told the paper he was the victim of bigotry, but social services said the children's wellbeing is their "primary concern". The children were taken into foster care after the death of their mother, who, according to court documents, had a "volatile relationship" with their father, and were estranged from one another. The father has been battling to get custody of his children since their mother’s death, and has been to court 13 times. He has been accused of domestic violence and assaulting a social worker, which he denies. The document from Salford Children's Services stipulates the man agreed "not to discuss the Muslim religion" with his children during any supervised contact. He told the Manchester Evening News he felt forced to sign the agreement, because he was desperate to see his children. "What's happening is xenophobia and bigotry," he said. "It's Stockholm syndrome. It's parental estrangement. "They are obviously feeding all kinds of ridiculous propaganda to my children and this is the end result." At the last hearing at a Manchester family court, District Judge Relph said: “In the light of the court’s finding as to the children’s previous upbringing, the local authority has made it clear that it does not propose to treat the children as belonging to the Muslim faith, although the father may supply relevant information to them about his faith or discuss his beliefs with them in a non-pressurising way during future contact.” Councillor Lisa Stone, who leads the children’s and young people’s services in Salford, said the council's "prime concern is children’s safety and wellbeing." She added: “We understand the distress of the father but he has had access to the courts on numerous occasions which have upheld the plans of the local authority. "This case has been before the Local Government Ombudsman who found no fault with the council’s actions.”