A five-year-old Christian girl who was reportedly made to live in Muslim foster homes, is said to be begging and crying not to be sent back to the foster carer's home as “they don't speak English”. Authorities said she was looked after by two different Muslim households in the last six months after she was placed into foster care in Tower Hamlets.
Local authority reports said her niqaab-wearing carers told her to learn Arabic. The girl said the supervisor removed her Christian cross necklace and did not allow her to eat her favourite meal given by her mother, because it contained bacon. She was also allegedly told that her mother, Christmas, and Easter are “stupid”, and that European women are “stupid and alcoholic”. The girl's mother is horrified by what she had to go through. “This is a five-year-old white girl. She was born in this country, speaks English as her first language, loves football, holds a British passport and was christened in a church. She's already suffered the huge trauma of being forcibly separated from her family. She needs surroundings in which she'll feel secure and loved. Instead she's trapped in a world where everything feels foreign and unfamiliar. That's really scary for a young child,” a friend said.
Reports said the two placements were made against the wish of the girl's family. A child's religion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background are to be taken into consideration when making decisions about foster care.
