Protests outside a Batley School

[I'm With Stupid]

Personally, I would support the teacher but instruct him to develop his awareness of religiously sensitive issues. He has not done anything that warrants disciplinary action. However, the school will have an issue with the community and the governors will be under huge pressure to act. I supect that the LEA will find a position for him in another school.
I do not in any way like the idea that the local community can affect things in this way but it is reality.

You sure that's who's complaining about this?

 

[oldius]

So if I unwittingly bought a T-shirt with a caricature of Allah on it and walked into say Oldham or Bradford Town Centre I'd be completely safe would I?

Taking an extreme example is often used to make a point even though people already know the answer. What would make you even think of wearing a shirt showing Allah if you have negative feelings about Islam?

 

[blueish swede]

You'd probably be fine with that one, because despite God being the one you're not supposed to slander, nobody seems to get their knickers in a twist about that. It's only pictures of Muhammad, who seems to have been elevated to this position of false idol who's more revered than God himself, that causes a problem. It seems to me that a lot of Muslims have forgotten that it's supposed to be Allah that they're worshipping, not the bloke who told them about him.

Which is exactly why they don't idolize Mohammad.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

The rest of us do not especially have to learn about the nuanced of the faith but if you are teaching Islam it is a different case, IMO.

How about if I was teaching a course on Islamic art? Would it then also be unacceptable or insensitive to show the various pictures of Muhammad from Persian artists, for example?

 

[oldius]

How about if I was teaching a course on Islamic art? Would it then also be unacceptable or insensitive to show the various pictures of Muhammad from Persian artists, for example?

I would teach the myriad of Islamic art that does not depict the Prophet; why create a problem when you absolutely do not need to?

 

[Deleted member 77198]

If showing a picture, that no one even knows if it’s what ‘he’ looked like, is insensitive then im sorry those people need to take a long hard look at the religion they follow. It’s fucking pathetic that in this country someone’s life is being threatened over showing an image. It’s no wonder most think religion shouldn’t be taught in schools any longer.
It’s fucking 2021 not the bastard Middle Ages!!

A lot of Academies have stopped teaching RE/RS. Religions are just mentioned as part of PSE lessons instead, and one day might just be taught in History.

I think all religions should be called mythology, much like old Norse and Greek religions are. It would be healthy if religions were to be looked at as if they were mythologies, because that’s all they are, and after a few generations children would be used to it all being seen as mythology and people would take it all far less seriously.

Who decides on what makes Thor Odin Freyja Zeus Apollo and Hera mythology, and God Allah Moses Jesus and Muhammad religion?

Could you imagine how good a world it would be where the moralistic principles of religions (which didn’t originate from religion, they’re literally humanistic traits!) are still remembered as important but all the books and stories and characters were seen as mythology?!

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Which is exactly why they don't idolize Mohammad.

But they do. That's the point. This proscription has created a far more untouchable and deified figure than he ever would have been otherwise. It's literally a visual version taking the Lord's name in vain.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I would teach the myriad of Islamic art that does not depict the Prophet; why create a problem when you absolutely do not need to?

Hasn’t someone already mentioned that the topic of conversation in class was “blasphemy”? The context is always key.

 

[Nightmare Walking]

What gets me is how offended people get regarding images of something that there is absolutely no tangible evidence of ever existing.

No one could prove in a court of law that Allah ever or does exist.

 

[117 M34]

Not if he was following the school curriculum. Reports suggest that these were materials from the school themselves, not the individual teacher's materials.

All resources used belong to the school regardless of who made them or used them first so that would be hard to determine.