We, the undersigned, are seriously concerned about the dilution of gender rights and equality regarding minority and in this case Muslim girls’ and women’s rights. We refer to the case of Al-Hijrah school, a co-ed faith school in Birmingham that has been segregating boys and girls during lessons and all breaks, activities and school trips (Gender-divided school is named, 11 July). The school was inspected by Ofsted, who judged it to be inadequate on a number of grounds including gender segregation.

We recognise the existence of single-sex schools but our concerns are with co-educational faith schools that apply gender segregation throughout the school day. It is as abhorrent as segregating people according to their race or sexuality. To engage in such conduct within a secular democracy raises fundamental questions about the type of society we are creating. Why are we allowing such educational institutions to waver from the basic freedoms our ancestors have fought for? We are in danger of creating a two-tier system in which minority women, especially Muslim women and girls, are being systematically treated as second-class citizens. Our progressive parties, institutions and even some on the left and within feminist circles seem to be abandoning the fight for gender equality in favour of religious dogma.

In the land from which the suffragettes arose, this steady erosion of gender equality principles would be ironic if it was not so dangerous. We seem to be sleepwalking into the hands of regressive religious forces that want to dissolve women’s basic human rights under the guise of religious expression. In any education institution, publicly funded or not, an adherence to equality, a principle long established through struggles fought in wider society, should be a foundation stone that is non-negotiable. If we do not act now, the politics of gender segregation will burden the next generation of women and girls. We cannot live in bunkers or allow a silo mentality to take hold in state-funded institutions. We only have to look across to our sisters in the US, South Asia and the Middle East to see the negative impact culturally, socially and politically that ultra-conservatives have on women’s rights and democracy.

If we don’t act collectively and fight against these acts of systematic gender discrimination, we will be responsible for colluding with the forces of regression that seek to control and restrict the rights of the next generation of women and girls.

Amina Lone Co-director, Social Action and Research Foundation, Pragna Patel Southall Black Sisters, Sara Khan Inspire, Iram Ramzan Journalist and founder of Sedaa, Tehmina Kazi Human rights activist, Amber Lone Writer, Aisha K Gill Professor of criminology, University of Roehampton, Gina Khan Spokesperson for One Law for All, Dr Elham Manea Academic and human rights advocate, Aisha Ali Khan Human rights activist, Zehra Zaidi Founder of Stand Up and civic activist, Lejla Kuric Women’s rights activist, IIa Patel Women’s rights campaigner, Dr Sundari Anitha University of Lincoln, Aliyah Saleem Vice-chair of Faith to Faithless, Yasmin Rehman Women’s human rights activist, Sandhya Sharma Women’s human rights activist, Ayesha Hazarika Commentator and comedian, Gita Sahgal Centre for Secular Space, Nasreen Rehman Human rights activist; vice-chair, National Commission on Forced Marriage, Dr Rumana Hashem Women’s rights campaigner, Maryam Namazie Spokesperson for Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All

• We congratulate the government for ensuring – through the Children and Social Work Act 2017 – that relationships and sex education (RSE) will soon be taught in all schools in England. This is an important step in boosting the future health and safety of children and young people. We further note that the act mandates the education secretary to publish regulations and statutory guidance regarding schools’ provisions of these subjects.

But this is open-ended and undefined, with the danger that RSE remains at risk of being hijacked by those who wish to overlook topics such as accessing confidential sexual and reproductive healthcare services and contraception, as well as those who wish to limit pupils to what they consider to be religiously acceptable notions of gender and sexual orientation. Schools, including faith schools, should be able to reflect upon a reasonable range of religious and cultural perspectives. But it is essential that the RSE that schools provide is accurate, balanced and promotes an acceptance of diversity.

We therefore urge that new statutory guidance on schools’ teaching of RSE should require them to actively promote the acceptance of LGBT people and provide, for pupils of sufficient maturity, factual information about contraception and abortion. We believe making certain that RSE is inclusive and focuses on ensuring pupils are well informed should be paramount, so that efforts to ensure their long-term wellbeing and to tackle prejudice are not undermined.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain Chair of the Accord Coalition for Inclusive Education, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Chair of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, Rev Canon Steve Chalke (Baptist), Founder and leader, Oasis Community Learning, Rev Canon Jane Fraser (C of E) Sex and relationships education specialist and manager of the sex education charity Bodysense, Jayne Ozanne General Synod member and LGBTI equality campaigner, Very Rev Jeffrey John (C of E) Dean of St Albans, Derek McAuley Chief officer, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, Martin Pendergast (Roman Catholic) Chair of the Centre for the Study of Christianity & Sexuality, Rev Professor Michael J Reiss (C of E) Specialist adviser to the House of Commons education committee 2014/15 personal, social and health education inquiry, Rt Rev Alan Wilson Anglican bishop of Buckingham, Rev Richard Adfield (C of E), Ruby Almeida Chair of Quest (pastoral support for LGBT Catholics), Simon Barrow Director of the Christian thinktank Ekklesia, Rev Richard Bentley (C of E), Rev Janet Conway (URC), Rev Roger Cornish (URC), Rev Marie Dove (Methodist), Rev Joe Edwards (C of E), Benjamin Ellis Chair of the Jewish LGBTQI inclusivity group, KeshetUK, Dr Maria Exall (Roman Catholic) Chair of the Cutting Edge Consortium and TUC LGBT+ Committee, Rt Rev Michael Doe Preacher to Gray’s Inn; former Anglican bishop of Swindon, Rt Rev David Gillett Former Anglican bishop of Bolton, Rev Dr Ruth Gouldbourne Co-minister, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, London, Cllr Martin Stears-Handscomb (Baptist) Co-chair of Accepting Evangelicals, Savitri Hensman (C of E) Equalities adviser in the care sector and writer on Christian social ethics and theology, Ruth Hilton Chair of the Jewish sexual health charity JAT, Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz Leeds Synagogue, Fr David Ingledew (C of E) All Saints, Hove, Rabbi Margaret Jacobi Birmingham Synagogue, Rev Robert Jennings (URC) Minister at Glenorchy Church, Exmouth, Rev Richard Jones (CofE) Associate minister, Hereford Diocese, Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner Senior rabbi to Reform Judaism, Rev Richard Kirker (CofE) LGBTI equality campaigner, Rev Dr Jan van der Lely (CofE) Chair of the Modern Church, Rev Stephen Lingwood (Unitarian) Minister of the Bank Street Unitarian Chapel, Bolton, Jeremy Marks Director of Courage UK, Rev Iain McDonald (URC), Rabbi David Mitchell West London Synagogue, Rev Tim Richards (URC) Mid Somerset Group, Rabbi Danny Rich Senior rabbi and chief executive, Liberal Judaism, Rev Professor Chris Rowland (C of E) Emeritus Dean Ireland’s professor of exegesis of holy scripture at the University of Oxford, Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah Brighton Synagogue, Rabbi Fabian Sborovsky Menorah Synagogue, Manchester, Rt Rev Dr Peter Selby (CofE) Former Anglican bishop of Worcester, Rabbi Sybil Sheridan Newcastle Synagogue, Elaine Sommers (CofE) Co-Chair of Accepting Evangelicals, Rev Tim Stead (C of E) Vicar, Holy Trinity Headington, Oxford, Rev Stephen Terry (C of E) Rector of the parish of Aldrington, Hove, Rev Robert Thompson (C of E), Rev Keith Ward DD FBA (C of E) Regius professor of divinity emeritus, University of Oxford, Rev Clare Wilson (C of E), Rev Simon Wilson (C of E), Rev Dick Wolff (URC) Minister in Oxford

• Giles Fraser (I applaud British Islam’s refusal to bow to the establishment, 7 July) makes an enticing case for religious followers and their leaders avoiding being “easy meat” for the establishment. Changing their views, being more moderate or accepting the baubles that are offered by our governors. I understand the argument he attempts to make. As a socially liberal atheist, I strongly support the right of people to freely believe in what they want to, as long as it does not harm others. I of course, in a free society, have the right to strongly disagree and oppose those views.

Most of the problems caused by religion in the world are by its leaders, its strict adherents, or one-sided interpreters of written texts from more than a thousand years ago. The majority of these people are, of course, men. Wherever women’s rights are denied, refused, or their development restricted, religion and men are not far behind. Giles’s own church has been an example over the centuries. Islam and Judaism have been less centralised, but the rabbi or the imam have been central not only to interpretation of scriptures but to the enforcement of cultural norms, particularly with regard to women.

I think that all citizens in our democracy have a duty to abide by the law, as agreed by parliament, but also to stand up to the powerful, such as government and the wealthy. They should argue the case for their beliefs and support those without power, such as Catholic women in Ireland or Africa who have been raped and want an abortion, or Muslim women forced by their fathers, imams or husbands to wear a face veil.

Freedom to stand up against others and to express your views also has corresponding responsibilities. Most religions insist that the principal duty is to their own community or a sect, rather than to our wider society. It is therefore wise, if perhaps not right, that governments attempt to appease their leaders. They do the same for difficult non-believers as well!

Jim Lockie

Harrow, London

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