[ad_1]
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson condemned the “completely unacceptable” protests outside a West Yorkshire school after a teacher was suspended for showing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
At least 50 protesters gathered at Batley Grammar School on Thursday, with images on social media showing crowds partially blocking the road.
The protests were organized after a cartoon was claimed to have been shown, reportedly an image previously published by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, during a religious studies class.
West Yorkshire Police said the street outside the school had been closed for a short time. No arrests were made and no fines were issued.
The school’s principal, Gary Kibble, apologized and said an investigation had been launched.
Read more:
However, Williamson defended the school saying, “It is never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers.
“We encourage dialogue between parents and schools when problems arise. However, the nature of the protest that we have seen, including the issuance of threats and the violation of coronavirus restrictions, is completely unacceptable and must be stopped. “
He added that schools “are free to include a full range of … ideas and materials in their curriculum, even when challenging or controversial,” but that they “must balance this with the need to promote respect and tolerance.” . between people of different faiths and beliefs. “
Earlier, the principal, Mr. Kibble, said that the school “unequivocally apologizes for using a totally inappropriate resource in a recent religious studies lesson,” adding, “The staff member has also given his sincere apologies.
“We have immediately withdrawn teaching in this part of the course and are reviewing how we are progressing with the support of all the communities represented in our school. It is important for children to learn about faith and beliefs, but this must be done in a sensitive way.
“The staff member has been suspended pending an independent formal investigation.”
Charlie Hebdo has long been a subject of controversy, being criticized for publishing cartoons considered by some to be racist or Islamophobic. Its Paris offices were raided by gunmen aligned with the Islamic State in 2015, in an attack that killed 12 people.
In October 2020, French teacher Samuel Paty was assassinated and beheaded by an Islamist terrorist after he showed a series of Charlie Hebdo cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of expression.
Dr. Abdul Shaikh, a local academic in Batley and Muslim activist, told the Palestinian Authority: “I was surprised, like many Muslims in the city, that the religious sensibilities of the Muslim school children were completely ignored by the teacher of school that decided to display an offensive image that satirized the noble Prophet Muhammad.
Police said no arrests or fines were issued during the incident.
(SWNS)
“All Muslims in the world hold the Prophet in the highest esteem.
“I believe that the school should be able to complete its investigation in due time and find a fair and adequate solution that satisfies first and foremost the Muslim students, their parents and the wider Muslim community in Batley.
“This situation should not be allowed to reoccur for the sake of community cohesion in the area.”
However, the National Secular Society called the protest an “attempt to impose a taboo of Islamic profanity in a school.”
Stephen Evans, executive director of the society, said: “Teachers should have a reasonable degree of freedom to explore sensitive topics and allow students to think critically about them.
“And the weak response from the school will fuel a climate of censorship, sparked by attempts to force society as a whole to adapt to unreasonable and reactionary religious views.”
