Marks & Spencer has been accused of “facilitating medievalism” by selling a children’s hijab in its school uniform section.

The response came after controversy developed online after it emerged the retailer sells the head garment in three different sizes for £6 to school children.

LBC presenter and counterextremism think-tank founder Maajid Nawaz said: "Marks and Spencer facilitates medievalism by selling children’s hijabs in the school-wear category.

"It’s their right to choose profit over values. But it’s our right to shame them for doing so. Little girls are told it is ‘immodest’ to show their hair. And blessed be the fruit.

"To be clear, these are stocked for little girls as young as 3 years old.

"Hijab is still imposed (only on women) by law in Iran and Saudi Arabia, and many other countries. This is gender apartheid. Marks and Spencer are free to sell confederate flag tee-shirts too, but I bet they never will."

But some took to Twitter to defend the retailer.

Ayam Frank tweeted: “This could be to facilitate when the little girls are learning the Quran. Also, M&S is Jewish owned I think so it's a great gesture to the Muslim community.”

Another Twitter user commented: “Marks and Spencer are merely selling them not advocating for girls to wear it. You gona hate on Maxwell Williams for selling kitchen knives cos it facilitates medievalism and stabbing? Get outta here, you’re pointing fingers at the wrong people”

M&S responded to the controversy via its official Twitter account, in a tweet which read: “We provide bespoke uniforms for 250 schools across the country and they tell us which items they need as part of their school uniform list.

“For a number of schools this year, they requested the option of the hijab.”