Muslim boy questioned by police after misspelling 'terraced' as 'terrorist'

Police were called in Lancashire, England, when a 10-year-old student wrote in class that he lived in a "terrorist house." The boy, a Muslim, said he meant to say he lived in a "terraced house."

Under the 2015 Counter Terrorism and Security Act, teachers are legally obligated to notify authorities of any suspected extremist behavior, the BBC reports. Police officers went to the boy's home in December and interviewed him, and also examined his family's laptop; in a statement, Lancashire Police said no further action is required at this time. The boy's cousin, not named by the BBC, said the family was shocked and wants an apology. "You can imagine it happening to a 30-year-old man, but not to a young child," she said. "If the teacher had any concerns it should have been about his spelling." Now, she added, her cousin is "scared of writing, using his imagination."

Some people are questioning the mandatory reporting, with Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, saying this isn't the first time he's heard of a child receiving a visit from police. "There are huge concerns that individuals going about their daily life are being seen through the lens of security and are being seen as potential terrorists rather than students," he said.

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