Damning 'Christian girl in Muslim foster care' claims are false, says Tower Hamlets investigation

A council who became the centre of a media furore following reports a white Christian child had become distressed after being placed with Muslim foster carers have rejected the allegations following an investigation.

London's Tower Hamlets council was scrutinised following an article in the Times which claimed the five-year-old girl became upset after living with a "niqab-wearing" Muslim carer for four months.

During this time, the family was said to have encouraged the girl to speak Arabic, banned her form eating pork and had had her Christian cross jewellery taken from her.

The girl also allegedly told her biological mother that "Christmas and Easter are stupid" and "European women are stupid and alcoholic" after spending time with the foster family.

However, an investigation by a Tower Hamlets social workers has roundly reject the allegations from the Times article. The investigation found many of the claims were unsubstantiated, adding how that the child does not even know what Europe is and therefore unable to have made the claims about European woman.

The investigation also found no evidence that the girl would have "sobbed and begged" not to be placed back with the family.

The report said the social worker held "age-appropriate conversations" with the girl and afterwards, with the assistance of her court-appointed guardian, wrote a letter to the judge who ordered the inquiry "wherein she expressed always being happy in the placement".

The report added: "Although the mother disputes the findings, the Local Authority is satisfied that at all times the foster carers provided warm and appropriate care to the child.

"The Local Authority has been impressed with the care and commitment shown by the carers to the child. This is reflected in the child's description and reaction to the carers and the MGM's positive relationship with them."

Elsewhere, the investigation found the five-year-old said the family did only speak English at home and outside. The girl also expressed no negative views about Christmas, Easter or any religious festival to the social worker and even excitement and described having an Easter egg hunt at the foster carer's home.

With regards to the crucifixes, the investigation found the girl did own two, one of which was in her bedroom in the maternal grandmother's country of origin. The second is a large gold piece of jewellery that belonged to the child's great grandmother, and was given to the child by her mother during proceedings.

The report says the carer considered it to be an inappropriate in size and value for a small child as it might be lost or broken and gave it back to the grandmother. The report said the second crucifix was found by a social worker at the grandmother's home.

The investigation also found that the foster family had not rejected of food brought for the child by the mother for religious reasons.

A spokesperson for The Times said: "The Times reported concerns about the suitability of this foster placement raised by the child's mother and a social care worker who supervised regular meetings between the girl and her birth family

"Tower Hamlets was ordered to investigate the allegations and invited by the judge to publish an 'alternative narrative' in respect of them.

"Its report today rejects the allegations but records that the mother disputes the findings."