Making Madness: The Trojan Horse Affair Review

Host: Hey I’m Brooke and you’re listening to Podcast Junkies. If you love crime investigation but without all the murderers and gore, you’ll love this episode. 

(intro music)

Overall Theme/Summary:

Today we’ll be discussing the Trojan Horse Affair. It’s hosted by Bryan Reen and Hamsa Syed. It covers the case of the anonymous letter sent to the city councilor of Birmingham England in 2014. The letter claimed that there was a plot to infiltrate city schools with Islamic extremists. The code name was Project Trojan Horse. They tried to keep it quiet at first but someone leaked it to the press and the country went wild, especially the media. This led to firings, dismissals, “resignations”, and new tactics for counterterrorism. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg…

(interlude music)

Topic 1: Episode 1

Brooke: So the first episode sets the stage. In Birmingham, England, there’s a large population of first and second-generation immigrants who come from the Muslim-majority country. Many of their children have a hard time adjusting to living in England, especially in the classroom. But many of the teachers were no help and made the problem even worse. Students were made to think their culture and religion were inferior while being called slurs and terrorists. Teachers also thought there was no point in trying to turn around failing schools and students because they would only grow up to be. But all of that changes when () takes over. Being a Muslim immigrant himself, he creates an environment where student cultures are respected and acknowledged. And the school went from one of the worst to the best in the city. Who ut fellow teachers and administrators held a grudge against () for his tactics and results. This is when the letter is sent. The initial thought was that it was certainly a hoax, but once it was leaked they were hiding. () along with other teachers were forced to resign to mitigate the controversy. But () is certain he knows who wrote the letter. Sayed and Reen couldn’t get him to name who he suspected, but he did give them one piece of advice to figure it out.

(insert clip of advice)

Topic 2: Episode 2 

“Who is the Letter Defending?” That was () a piece of advice. He also believes that the author is from Birmingham. But the letter contains specific details about issues at Adderley Primary School. There were things stated that only someone closely involved in the school would know. The biggest issue was between parents and a head teacher named Rizwanna Darr and conservative, Salafi Muslim parents. She claimed that she was criticized and harassed by her parents for being unmarried, too Western, and not practicing the Islamic faith correctly. On the other hand, TAs and other staff claim Salafi was the harasser. Reen and Syed consider whether or not the letter could’ve been a way to help Ms. Darr and make her allegations more believable. They also press the issue of the media during the scandal. The British press already had a history of islamophobia. And they seemed all too eager to run with the story of grooming children in terrorists, without truly looking at the validity or evidence of the plot. 

Topic 3: Episode 3 

Episode three goes right to the source, Albert Bore. He was the councilor who originally received his letter. Initially, he stated the letter was a hoax. But he seems to have the opposite tune with Reed, “almost putting stock in the letter” to quote Reed. Later on, the hosts find evidence that the city council was already familiar with Adderly Elementary and that certain teacher’s resignation letters were proven to be faked. This raises a horrible question. Was the Trojan Horse scandal allowed to go unchecked intentionally because of personal agendas by the government? Was the narrative of budding terrorists more important to maintain than the reputations of staff, students, and schools?

Topic 4: Episodes 4 - 5

The next two episodes include more politicians, parents, and letters. Many politicians simply refused to meet with Reen and Syed our danced around the topic, like Brigid Jones and Sally Taylor. Even after managing to get some interviews, it became clear the Birmingham council didn’t want this investigation to continue and was trying to sue. But this makes even more sense when you learn what else the hosts learned.  Turns out that the Trojan Horse letter was not the only letter warning about dangerous ideologies being taught in Birmingham. A six-hour interview leaves parents and Syed with a lot of tension in reflection. As a Muslim from Birmingham, Syed has a completely different perspective and experience compared to Reed. These attacks and allegations against the Muslim are essentially an attack on him as well. So how can he stay objective? These two episodes emphasize the power of misinformation on the public and politics. 

Topic: Episodes 7-8

Episode 6 dives deeper into the inconsistencies between the government and the media. Where there was clear agreement that the letter was a hoax, council members continued to backtrack their statements and now somewhat align with the letter. And TAs evaded questions on the stand during trials. Reed and Syed continue to be stonewalled. Basically, nothing that anyone says stays the same.

We finally end in Australia, which is where they Ahmed. He used to be a teacher in Birmingham but was banned from educating in the UK after the Trojan Horse Trials. Even though he works in a different field now, he still feels the impact, stain, and allegations of the trial. His story proves that while the trial has ended, the backlash and consequences haven’t. Reed ends the podcast with sa ad but true realization. The only way for this case to be truly solved is for the government to take responsibility. But that would mean admitting to their own shortcomings, misinformation, and direct actions. While it’s possible, it doesn’t seem like it’ll happen any time soon. 

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this podcast because it refused to look away. It didn’t look away from the racism, Islamaphobia, government interference, personal vendettas, and close ties that encompassed this case. The fact that Syed chose to reopen a case that was considered “old news” shows how impactful this case was to the Muslim community in Birmingham. In light of recent events on American soil, it also makes me think about our own education system. What viewpoints do we prioritize? Do we truly teach objective history or the perspective of the supremacist? What do we continue to look away from?

Closing Remarks: Thank you for listening to this of Podcast Junkie. If you’d like to listen to the Trojan Horse Podcast in full, follow this link the New York Times. This story is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. See you next week!