I think that this campaign is focusing on the discrimination issue for tactical reasons. Many of the people involved do seem to be dead set against the expansion of these ridiculous and misconceived schools. Rational arguments don’t seem to be having any effect.

It’s an inherent contradiction of anti-discrimination laws that these schools can choose staff or students on the basis of their religion. So, it’s possible to attack these schools (and their supporters in government) on discrimination grounds when nothing else seems to have any effect.

It is always possible that religious bodies might not be so keen to take public money to spread their nonsense if they found that they had to accept teachers and pupils who didn’t share their ideas.