Harrow School, one of Britain’s most renowned educational institutions, known for nurturing future leaders like Sir Winston Churchill, has long been a bastion of traditional British values. As it expands its reach globally, including into the Middle East, the adaptation of its curricula to local contexts raises eyebrows. The idea of a traditional British school setting up in the Middle East might seem unconventional to some.
However, the situation becomes controversial when Harrow’s Middle Eastern branches reportedly incorporate lessons that could include contentious topics like wife-beating, a significant deviation from its original ethos. This adaptation appears to conflict with the institution’s foundational values.
Importantly, these lessons are reportedly directed at local Muslim students rather than those from the UK. Nonetheless, this distinction does little to mitigate the concerns about the implications of such educational content.
Headings in one include: “First: good counselling”, “Second: refusing bed-sharing” and “Third stage: beating lightly”. The book tells pupils that the last step refers to “beating for the purpose of remediation”.
It says: “Its objective is to safeguard marital life against breakdown and maintain companionship and social intimacy. A husband is not allowed to hit his wife using a whip or stick or in her face. He is to use a siwak (small teeth cleaning twig) or a light handkerchief.”
Yeah, that doesn’t make it any better. We should note, in all fairness, that these lessons aren’t being taught to British students, but only to local, Muslim attendees. Again, that doesn’t make it any better.
