LONDON — The King Fahd Academy in London won an out-of-court settlement against the Sunday Express for falsely accusing it of teaching an extremist, intolerant and anti-Semitic curriculum. On June 12, 2011, the paper published an article entitled "Spies in schools to hunt fanatics," in which it stated that the Academy had been infiltrated by fanatics and was teaching “an extreme form of Islam”. Under the guidance of Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Chairman of the Academy's Board of Trustees, lawyers for King Fahd Academy filed a lawsuit in the English High Court against the newspaper demanding an apology, damages and legal fees. Saudi lawyer and member of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Saud Al-Ammari, who handled the case on behalf of the Academy and Embassy, said, “We got everything we wanted — an apology to the Academy and its director … damages and legal fees. This is a huge victory and vindication to the KFA from a difficult and experienced opponent.” The King Fahd Academy was founded in 1985 as an international school providing education of the highest standards, equally acceptable to both Saudi and British authorities for the children of Saudi diplomats, Arab Muslims and the local communities in London. The Academy is constituted as an educational trust by command of the late King Fahd, with funding at source from Saudi Arabia. It is committed to helping all students realize their full potential and become well-balanced, productive citizens who take pride in their religious and cultural identity as Muslims. One of the school's principal values is to promote intercultural understanding and respect. The school teaches an international curriculum with emphasis on Islamic and Arabic studies and the students are taught the International GCSE program and the International Baccalaureate. The Sunday Express has retracted its statement and published an apology admitting that it has wrongly libeled the King Fahd Academy. The paper acknowledged that King Fahd Academy does not teach an extreme form of Islam and does not teach its students anti Semitism or any form of racism nor has not been infiltrated by Islamic fanatics. “The Academy teaches an international curriculum in English and has been approved by Ofsted. ? We are happy to clarify the position and we apologize to the King Fahad Academy and its director Dr Sumaya Alyusuf,” The Sunday Express said in its apology published on Sunday. “No doubt this case ended in favor of the Kingdom and this ruling would serve as a deterrent to all those who aim to defame the reputation of the Kingdom and Islam,” said Al-Ammari.
