reply to Nick T, Coalville, and the 2 above! ignorance is not the key. To insinuate that muslims are all the same and assume this is something that is to be expected due to Islam shows your ignorance to life. Its the whole world that mistreats women and children not specifically the Muslim world!

atiquah, preston,

This is a very easy one. The Madrassas must be regulated like an after-school club, with police checks, Ofsted etc. Muslims have a right to know that their children are protected too.

Andrew Piercy, London, UK

There is no such thing as a Muslim child, just as there is no such thing as a Communist child or a Communist child.

'A child of Muslim parents' in future please...

James, Ascot, Berkshire

Antonio Garcia, Dublin, Ireland, Very knowledgable remark!
they are muslims not necessarilyIndians; quite unlikely in fact

Acharya, Bengaluru, India

When I was a child what I do remember is being caned by my English School Teacher and not in the Madrasah.

Ismail, Batley, UK

Happy and confident children being taught the Koran at the Jamia Chistia mosque in Rochdale? Yeah right! They look pretty scared to me.

Theresa, Cardiff, Wales

I volunteer an hour a week to help 6/7 year-olds with reading practise at a local school. Even though I am always in sight of several teachers at all times, I still had to go through the CRB check before I could start. How do these people get away with not being checked/regulated?

John Dale, Sunderland,

It was not long ago that all British schools – religious or not – saw beating kids as normal. There were protests from the "spare the rod and spoil the child" lobby when it was outlawed but I don't think very many people would want to go back to it. Muslim children need protection like anyone else

Wills, London, England

I was subjected to the odd slap growing up 30 years ago, but I would never allow anyone to do that to my children. I think they should be regulated, if not closed down!
We have a wonderful Imam that comes to us - parents have to ensure that they lay down the ground rules.

F Akhtar, Gerrards Cross, UK

The children only accept it because they dont know better.

They must be informed at a young age that the law tolerates no physical abuse whatsoever and that a person in a position of authority over them is not beyond that law.

Once thats understood they will then as adults never physically abuse.

karl Irani, London, United Kingdom

I have been teaching at a local (Part Time) Madrasa in Glasgow but never came across such situation. I think the best solution of all these kind of problems is to have proper "State-run" Muslim Schools, where all teaches come through proper training and CRB checks.

Raja Tauqir Nawaz, Glasgow, UK

By not speaking out, the parents are condoning what is happening. Social services would remove the children from the parents in any other circumstance in this country. Double standards for sure. And why are these people not subject to CRB checks like everyone else? A country within a country?

SA, Monmouth, UK

When I used to attend the madrassa at a young age, I was caned a few times for being naughty, but that's not done any harm to me at all. In fact, I have grown up to love my religion. I do not agree with the punishments mentioned in the article and I am sure the practice is dying as mentioned above.

Zahid, Blackburn,

Punishment can go wild however as the law says reasonable punishment like a smack it should be understood why it says so? Fear is an important element and law also uses it by jailing people so fear cannot totally left out. However fear is used as a negative reinforcement and not as revenge.

mj, south east,

Salman rushdie wrote the satanic verses circa 20 years ago, as an intellignt and well connected species it really is taking us a long time to get the message isn't it?

gordon cross, budapest,

The laws regarding child protection should supercede the parents' wishes. If a parent knows that their child is being abused and takes no steps to prevent it, then they are guilty of neglect, and should have their children removed from their custody. At least that's what would happen here.

Marsha Eisner, Hicksville, USA / NY

What about the abuse of forcing young children to attend a school in the evening after a full day in regular schools?

Lorry drivers are required by law to have regulated periods of rest.

Children need rest too. We need a law for maximum hours of schooling for children.

SMITH, Kent,

Do not be so judgemental. Surely "a small price to pay" if it enables us to "celebrate diversity".

D.L. Stephens, York, England

"We need a culture which says that whistleblowing on these things is a badge of pride not a badge of shame.”

Indeed, and the same applies to terrorism and honour killing. But don't hold your breath. The very fact this remark is made, and the way it is worded, is very telling.

Joe, Manchester,

I used to get beatings from my Sunday School teacher at the local Islamic Centre in the 1980's. However, my own children now go to the same centre and they have a wonderful young British born imam who is hip, down with it and understands the trials and tribulations that young boys go through.

Sami, Glasgow,

I went to a british mudrassar when I was a child and regularly contact the police to tell them of the abuse carried out, however being a british muslin chlild meant that I was not taken seriously. This is not a new phenonenen and has been going on in the UK for a long time.

saima, manchester, uk

how does this article suggest that islam will take over britain as has been suggested and why do people think this is a practice condoned by islam ?

Steve Paton, Glasgow,

Hear hear

Im 21, from bradford and i went to mosque's from the age of 9 to15 and I hated it. We used to get smashed about. The teachers used to have sticks, slippers, shoes, fists, kicks, slaps, ear twisting, etc And at the end of all of it - I can read arabic but dont understand a word - nice!

waqqas, bradford, england

Abuse is always higher in religiously oriented schools. It should be prosecuted to the fullest. The idea that these ad-hoc schools are not under regulation is something that must be rectified immediately.

James Shay, Houston, USA

Terry Piggott, the executive director of Rochdale Borough Council, admitted that it was difficult for the authorities to take action.

So they are outside the law of the UK and cannot be shut down. Archbishop and Lord Phillips were proved right.

Ib, Dalston, UK

@Howard, Manchester.

Chinese and Indian communities has actually proven that James is very right.

Sorry Howard you can't see it.

Antonio Garcia, Dublin, Ireland

I went to a mosque after school in the 80s. Caning across the hand was quite common when naughty (although we werent ever punished for reciting incorrectly) and occasionaly some Imams made students do the "Hen".They knew the law perfectly well as they would hide the canes when visitors came.

AS, London,

Remember that even in this enlightened nation, children were beat up and abused fifty years ago. Although I agree with the general idea that children should not be beat, teachers should never be as lenient as school teachers because the children end up abusing teachers and fellow students.

Rafeeq Jamal, Leicester, UK

Abolish all religion and avocate sprituality!
Direct connection not middlemen.

sade, london,

I was brought up in the Church of Scotland, went to church on Sunday mornings, Sunday school in the afternoons and the Christian Endeavour one evening in the week. I have absolutely no memory of anything other than kindness from any of my teachers, nor do I recollect hearing any stories from others.

Anna, Warwick, UK

i went to a madressa as a kid, and got beat for not pronouncing words correctly....as a grown up i have not been back to a mosque now for 14 years, forced religion is a bad thing for little kids and it is time this sort of abuse is stopped.

Hasan, Derbyshire,

Beyond the physical abuse, forcing children to learn religion is abuse. If people want to devote themselves to a religion, let them deceide for themselves at 16, not when they are innocent.

tom, london,

Why is it a "problem was that some madrassa teachers were ignorant of British law"? I thought we were operating on Sharia these days.
No wonder the ''victims' parents refused to press charges'
Also - I thought anyone working with children these days needed background checks?

Dave, Dubai,

Where were there parents!?

Dont look to the goverment to look after you and solve all your problems! That is not what goverment is for, sort your own life out! Take responcibility for your own children and life! No one else to blame but your self!

Stop making goverment failures a scapgoat!

Andrew, Duham, England, UK

The Goverment will do nothing about this as they are too scared of upsetting the "minorites". This country has so many double standards and the Goverment wonders why we are wondering into segregation!

Lee, Manchester,

Why do we allow people to teach children in this country if they have no concept of British law?

Linda, Fife,

I also went to a mudrassar when I was kid and was also hit a couple of times - I am now a committed atheist.

imtiaz, London,

"but no one moaned that blacks enslaved blacks or Arabs enslaved blacks" - still don't, Cadzow. Recall the last time your city, or any western city, was full of protestors about this continuing form of slavery which antedated the European trans-Atlantic slave trade begun in the 1500s.

Leonard Colquhoun, Launceston, Australia

I never agreed with the banning of punishment of Children,but i do now ,I too realise that it leads to Adults being cruel.What a wonderfull world it could be if there was a total ostracising of Cruelty and destruction of Property.

derek bevan, Huntingdon, England

The answer is obvious: close down these institutions unless they comply with stringent regulations regarding the suitability of staff and welfare of their charges. There is a regulatory gap here that needs to be plugged.

Peter, Pirot, Serbia

Greater responsibility should be placed on parents rather than social and child protection services for the well-being of their children. If parents fail to take action, they should face the music. The government is spreading itself to thin and cannot be expected to police apathetic familes.

Russell, London, England/Singapore

There aren't terribly many religions that have a good track record of human rights generally, particularly towards women, children and the disabled. Actually, I can't think of any but feel free to suggest some if you can. This religion is no different.

Angela, Epping, Australia

when i was young and went to madrassa, i would get beatings as well and i really regret not retaliating. children should not be beaten under any circumstances.

shiraz, chigwell, england

The main child abuse taking place in these so-called schools is not the damage to the children's bodies but to their minds. I think that is abhorrent that any child has his mind stuffed full of religious mumbo-jumbo before he is old enough to decide whether he has any interest or need for it.

David Amies, Coffs Harbour, Australia

@Cadzow, Greater London, GB
Circumcision is also child abuse and also accepted because of 'culture', despite the fact it causes mental trauma and irreversible damage to the body. Scientific proof.

Adults who feel the urge to hurt children in any way should be kept away from children. Period.

Loki, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Slapping, punching and ear twisting were all standard fare while I was being educated in the seventies. Beating with a slipper, cane or leather strap were also common punishments.

Hair twisting was the forte of one particularly sadistic teacher, a Catholic priest no less.

Nick, Brisbane, Australia

My junior school was a Catholic school where the teachers were Nuns who used a leather strap as punishment. My secondary school was Church of England where the Headmaster used a cane. Didn't do me any harm

Mike, Sole Street, England

I attended a school run by the church of England in Pakistan and was often caned. Its not a monopoly folks.

ali, LA, US

If you allow Sharia Law, then expect more of this to happen and to be legally challenged by Islam in European Human Rights Courts. The government, however didn't think ahead about this did they? Have two law systems and you're creating chaos waiting to happen.

Winston Smith, Wigan,

I bet nothing will be done to punish these cruel teachers because they'll cry "discrimination" and the government will give into them.

Pat, Toronto, Canada

Another example of the absurdity of allowing un-registered, un-checked, un-observed Muslim schools in western countries.

The Muslim world is full of examples of mistreatment of children and women, yet the authorities seem to think that the same does not happen here.

Nick T, Coalville, UK

One of my school mates was caned so hard (he was 14 then) he just pee, wet his short-pants - this incident is indelibly etched in my mind. He was physically hurt, never mind the mental anguish. Some La Salle Catholic teacher-priests were a violent lot in white robes in the Far East. May G-d forgive.

Gabriel Chan, Penang , Malaysia

This is child abuse, but the politically correct will not wish to interfere in the culture of another ethnic community.

It's like the slavery debate. When whites enslaved blacks, it was bad, but no one moaned that blacks enslaved blacks or Arabs enslaved blacks, or even that whites enslaved whites

Cadzow, Greater London, GB

I remember working as a supply teacher in a Birmingham Primary School. On one occasion I had to reprimand a naughty boy. I reached out to bring him closer to me. He wet himself. I told the head teacher about this and she said it was because of the local Imam. This was over twenty years ago.

Corin Keiler-Lloyd, Wolverhampton,

'victims' parents refused to press charges against the perpetrators either because they felt that physical abuse was normal practice or they feared being ostracised by their community' - if the parent will/can not protect the needs of the child then the Legal system has an Duty of Care to intervene.

Agyness, Bristol, UK

although it is a shame, this is nothing different from what the children in the U.S. experienced in Catholic and many Prot. Schools. Only an ignorant individual would physically harm a child in this manner...someone who is so uneducated that they can not express themselves any other way

Ben Anderson, Pittsburgh, PA,

I think its disgusting that children are being beaten into a religion, with the parents consent!!! These children need immediate protection and the government should act without delay.

Lee Smith, London, Uk

They are just slightly behind the times that is all. I went to a Catholic Boarding School for two years and got canned every morning for not getting the catechism right (Protestant Farther Catholic Mother). All it did for me was to make me hate enforced religion of any type.

P Barrett, Plymouth/Valletta, UK/Malta

I remember getting hit with a reinforced bamboo stick on the palm as a child attending religious school. This was normal punishment for making mistakes and we never thought anything of it. I never had an issue with this but the ear twisting and use of excessive force by some teachers must stop.

Sameer, London,

"Madrassas and similar religious classes are not subject to any regulation nor are their teachers required to be vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau."
Wow that is one hell of a double standard. We should be affording these children the same protection as children in mainstream schools.

Kate, Leeds,

@James, London, UK

It seems the Chinese and Indian communities have proven you wrong.

Howard, Manchester,

why am I not surprised?

matt, Los Angeles, USA

If you take people from an economically and socially underdeveloped region such as rural Pakistan and transport them into a Western liberal society, then commonsense suggests there will be incompatible social practices, eg. beating children. Obvious to all except the immigration authorities.

James, London, UK

Come on Mr Ed Balls let's see if you have the courage to take on this child abuse - I suspect not. One law for one group another law for a different group - although in these cases nothing will happen because of the ethnic group involved.

Richie, Cardiff, Wales

This rural un-Islamic practice which was brought over from villages in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh is dying a death. What was/is allowed to enforce discipline in those countries is not acceptable in the UK or ISLAM. Imams now taught in this country are bringing in a new way of educating the young

abdul, Halifax, UK