Religious schools to get cameras after alleged assault
The Muslim Council of Hong Kong is proposing to introduce a code of conduct for religious classes and install security cameras in classrooms after an alleged assault on a boy by a teacher reportedly left him with a detached and torn retina. The 13-year-old underwent eye surgery at Eastern Hospital on Wednesday and is in a stable condition, the Hospital Authority said. The boy was allegedly struck by a teacher at an Islamic learning centre at the weekend after failing to recite a verse of the Koran. Hong Kong's chief imam Mufti Muhammad Arshad told RTHK he understands that the teacher involved in the alleged assault has now been banned from the learning centre.  "No any single person is accepting this act of hitting the child, because it is against the teaching of Islam, as well as against the rule of the land," he said.  The council, meanwhile, said the community at large could "learn from this case and make a firm stance against child abuse of any kind". It urged parents and students to speak up if they witness or experience any abuse.  Rizwan Ullah, a member of the Commission on Children, said he believes the alleged assault was a one-off incident, but training will be given to teachers.  "We would be actually providing some sensitivity training and awareness building to different organisations who are running the Koran lessons in different districts, so that they know more about the recent bill - the mandatory reporting regime - and also the child abuse bill a little more in-depth," he told RTHK. Hospital bosses said the teenager's family has reported the alleged incident to the police, while the Social Welfare Department said it received a referral concerning the boy on Thursday.  "The social worker of [the department] has contacted his family and will hold a multi-disciplinary case conference on the case to assess the welfare needs of the boy for appropriate follow-up actions," a spokesperson said.