5-year-old Christian girl reportedly 'distressed' after government placed her with Islamic families

According to a report from the U.K.'s Sunday Times, British social services placed a 5-year-old Christian girl into foster care with Muslim families who reportedly took away her Christian cross necklace and encouraged her to learn Arabic.

The child has spent the last six months in the care of two separate Muslim families, the report stated.

The allegations

The child welfare reports obtained by the Times reported that the young girl's family is worried for the child's well-being after hearing concerning allegations from the child.

The child reportedly told her biological mother during their periods of contact that Judeo-Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas are "stupid."

On another occurrence, the child was reportedly not allowed to eat one of her favorite meals, which was sent home with the girl to her foster home — a meal containing bacon. Pig products are considered "unclean" by those of Islamic faith.

Additionally, the Muslim foster carer reportedly removed the child's Christian cross necklace.

According to a friend of the child's biological family, the young girl, with regard to her placement in a Muslim home, feels "trapped in a world where everything feels foreign and unfamiliar. "

"This is a five-year-old white girl," the family friend told the newspaper. "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," the family friend continued. "She needs surroundings in which she’ll feel secure and loved."

Social services supervisors, who described the child as "very distressed," reportedly witnessed the child "sobbing and begging not to be returned to the foster carer's home because 'they don’t speak English.'"

The problem

According to local authorities, the placement of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets child should have been considered further with regard to "religious persuasion, racial origin, and culture and linguistic background."

London's Department of Education commented on the story and noted that "when placing a child in a foster home, the local authority must ensure that the placement is the most appropriate way to safeguard the child and support their welfare. A child’s background is an important consideration in this decision."