MANCHESTER – A 14-year-old British Muslim schoolgirl has become the latest victim of Islamophobia and harassment, after a group of teenage students surrounded her and chanted “ISIS” as her mother picked her up from school.

“My daughter has been targeted since year seven and has been made to feel that she has no friends and that no one likes her,” the mother Farrah Aftab told Daily Mail on Wednesday, July 12.

“The children have said to her that she is like the young Muslim girl in educating Yorkshire, who struggled to make friends. It’s like they’re reminding her that no one likes her and it is just unfair. They have called her ISIS and asked her where she was on the night of the Manchester Bombings. It has always been bad but with things that have been going on it has been getting worse.

“It is racism and bullying and the school don’t seem to be doing anything about it. I am terrified as to what would have happened if we hadn’t gone to get her and if she hadn’t got in the car. I’ve reported this to the police, local MP and the council and the governors of the school,” 37-year-old mental health worker from Heaton Chapel, said.

Aftab said her daughter was cornered by fellow pupils and asked what she was doing on the night of the Manchester Arena bombing before being verbally abused.

The teenager was also compared to an unpopular child who appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Educating Yorkshire and branded the ‘girl no-one likes.’

The incident was captured on mobile phone camera by the shocked mother outside the 1,300-pupil Priestnall School in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

“On Thursday my husband and I had gone to pick her up from school sat in car, and before you know it girls and boys are surrounding the car peeping in back windows where she’s sat. She and I was saying go away but the girls hurling abuse at her and shouting ISIS, saying they would break her nose, calling her ugly, saying you watch what happens now,” she said.

“My daughter got out car go to speak to a teacher and she was saying: “this is what I have got to put up with – I don’t come to school for this”, but the teachers seemed more concerned with me putting my phone away.”

Fearful

The mother was concerned of the effect of this bullying on her kids.

“I am fearful for my kids. My daughter could have been hurt. I have received an email from school saying if she wants to return then it is in her best interests to go to a study center which I thought was an isolation unit for naughty children,” she told The Mail.

“It seems like she is being punished for being a victim of bullying.

“We come from a mixed race background as a family and we were raised that we are all equal. What ISIS do has nothing to do with us being Muslims. I have taught my children that if that conversation comes up you do not engage in that conversation it’s nothing to do with us.

“Sometimes you think they’re just kids and kids can be kids but when it’s happening in front of you with a teacher watching and they say I don’t wish to speak to you is disgusting. I’m afraid I just don’t trust the teachers with my children now – they have breached duty of care.”

A spokesman for the school where former pupils include tennis player Liam Broady and his sister Naomi said: “We are aware of an incident after school on Thursday 6th July 2017.

“The matter has been referred to the Greater Manchester Police and the Local Authority. As this is now an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further. Priestnall is an inclusive school and takes all concerns shared by parents and carers very seriously.

“The school will work with the family and all parties concerned to address any issues bought to their attention.”

Greater Manchester Police said: “We are looking into the incident and officers are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward.”