Silent Suffering in the Classroom
When 12-year-old Fatima arrived at her UK high school from Afghanistan, she expected safety and opportunity. Instead, she found herself labelled an “immigrant” and told to “go back to your country.” The words stung deeply. “It sad me,” she told researchers, her voice barely above a whisper .
Across the country, Zara from Nigeria faces a different but equally painful reality. During group tasks, classmates deliberately refuse to share materials with her. They pretend she does not exist, even as she looks directly into their eyes requesting resources . Her crime? Wearing a hijab and having dark skin.
Zara’s story is not isolated. It represents a systemic crisis affecting Muslim female refugee students in UK high schools, according to groundbreaking research published in the journal Cogent Education .
Study Reveals Four Devastating Challenges
Their findings identified four interconnected challenges:
1. Social Ostracism: Invisible and Ignored
The girls face systematic exclusion during peer interactions. Masoma from India watches classmates choose others for projects, leaving her isolated. “They just kind of excluded me in everything,” she explained .
Zara’s silence in class became a weapon used against her. “People think I’m scary because I don’t talk,” she said. “People always take advantage of that” .
2. Multifaceted Discrimination
Phenotypic Discrimination: Ajar from Nigeria explained how skin colour determines treatment. “They are fair here and I’m dark. They just look down on dark people,” she stated .
Wearing a hijab intensifies the abuse dramatically. Asma from Kurdistan moved through four schools to escape discrimination. She reported that after she started wearing the hijab, “everyone knew I was Muslim and discrimination increased” .
Gender Dynamics: Non-Muslim boys specifically target girls, perceiving them as weak and vulnerable. “Because I’m a girl, they think I’ve got nothing to say, I can’t speak up,” Asma explained .
Religious Identity: Girls are routinely called “terrorists” and “bombers.” Whenever teachers mention terrorism in class, non-Muslim classmates immediately look at Muslim students and smile .
Curricular Insensitivity: Forced to Leave Classrooms
The curriculum itself creates barriers. The PSHE (Physical, Social, Health and Economic Education) course often includes sexual content that conflicts with Islamic values. Ajar described leaving the classroom whenever “sex stuff” was discussed .
Similarly, Khadija refused to participate in LGBTQ lessons. “They say we should support it,” she explained, but for her, the content directly contradicted her faith .
The Bullying Crisis
Physical and verbal bullying has become routine. Ajar witnessed a Muslim friend being beaten by a group of students. The girl could not defend herself. “There are many and she’s one,” Ajar observed .
Zahra experienced students deliberately bumping into her and other Muslim girls. The perpetrators offered no apologies or explanations. Their actions spoke volumes .
Verbal Abuse: Students are mocked with derogatory labels that inflict lasting psychological damage. Even non-Muslim students who befriend refugee girls become targets. This creates a chilling effect, further isolating these young women .
The Students’ Coping Strategies: A Sign of Systemic Failure
Faced with relentless discrimination, students adopt desperate measures:
- Social withdrawal: Some stay near classrooms, avoiding common areas to escape stares
- School transfers: Asma changed four schools, finding no improvement
- Complete withdrawal: Some consider leaving education entirely
Maryam from Syria wished she were white. “They look at me in a different way. So I’d often wish that I was white,” she confessed .
The Teacher Problem: Complicity or Incompetence?
Teachers are supposed to protect students. Instead, they often fail or actively participate in discrimination.
When Masoma was called “Paki” in front of her entire maths class, her teacher did nothing. “I thought the teacher would send him to higher-level teachers,” Masoma said. “But she didn’t do anything” .
Asma reported that teachers consistently side with British students during conflicts. “The teachers always pick the British people’s side,” she explained. “They say, ‘You started the fight. You have to be in detention'” .
The Psychological Toll
These experiences leave deep scars. Studies cited in the research link such discrimination to depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and even attempted suicide .
When Aleena witnessed a girl called a “bomber” for wearing a hijab during Ramadan, she became terrified to wear hers .
Types of Discrimination Experienced
| Discrimination Type | Examples from Study |
|---|---|
| Phenotypic | Called “dark,” “black,” “ugly”; told “go back to your country” |
| Religious Identity | Called “terrorist,” “bomber,” “Paki”; stared at during terrorism discussions |
| Gender-Based | Told “you’re weak because you’re a girl”; Muslim boys less targeted |
| Verbal Bullying | Derogatory names, threats, mocking |
| Physical Bullying | Assault, bumping, being beaten |
| Social Exclusion | Excluded from group work; ignored; not shared materials |
Source: Maleki & Farooqi, 2025
What Needs to Change
The study offers concrete recommendations:
- Professional Development: Teachers must understand refugee trauma and cultural sensitivities
- Explicit Anti-Bullying Policies: Islamophobic, racist, and gender-based bullying requires specific, enforceable responses
- Alternative Curriculum Options: Culturally sensitive alternatives for PSHE and LGBTQ content
- Parental Engagement: Meaningful partnerships with refugee families
- Mental Health Support: Accessible psychological services for affected students
The Education System’s Failure
This research exposes a system that is failing one of society’s most vulnerable groups. With refugee arrivals from Afghanistan, Syria, and other Muslim-majority regions increasing since 2020, the problem demands urgent attention .
The UK’s Equality Act 2010 and Department for Education policies promise inclusion. Reality tells a different story. Muslim female refugee students remain invisible, silenced, and underserved .
A Call to Action
For students like Fatima, Zara, Asma, and Masoma, school is not a place of opportunity but a daily battlefield. Their silence in the classroom is not weakness but survival.
The question is not whether Britain’s education system can do better. It is whether it will .
Reference: Fariha Maleki & Mohammad Qasim Farooqi (2026) Exploring the challenges
Muslim female refugee students face in the educational context of high school in the United
Kingdom, Cogent Education, 13:1, 2594848, DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2025.2594848
Other Articles:
