Batley Grammar School

[Brahumbug]

I am outraged that a howling mob of thugs has been allowed to gather at Batley Grammar School to threaten a teacher and demand his sacking. The headmaster has issued a groveling, spineless apology. The threats have been condemned by such as the National Secular Society. The cause if this nonsense? During a lesson on blasphemy, its self the ultimate victimless crime, the teacher showed cartoons of Muhammad. Free soeech is once agsin under attack by religious groups claiming special privileges for their beliefs, absolutely disgusting.

www.secularism.org.uk/news/2021/03/teacher-suspended-after-using-muhammad-cartoon-in-class-on-blasphemy

I see the National Secular Society has written an open letter to the head teacher criticising his actions.

@MrHannigansCat

How many students were actually "distressed" though Princess?

Do you live near to this school and understand the local area? I do. The police should have dispersed the protesters, they should not have been allowed to congregate outside the school gates. It is intimidation pure and simple.

If parents felt that strongly about their religion they should choose a different school.

Nobody ever died from being distressed If a cartoon (apart from one depicting graphic porn or violence) is enough to distress your Secondary school child you need to be having a look at your parenting.

@MiddleParking

*I just asked a question. Which nobody seems able to answer.

There's no law against a teacher distressing children, but if I was a parent at that school then I'd be asking questions about why they did it.*

It’s because your question’s based on the premise that he DID do it, for which there is zero evidence.

I didn't realise it was a question of whether he showed an image distressing to those of the Muslim faith to children of the Muslim faith. I was under the impression that apologies had been made.

If the teacher didn't in fact do that then I'm sure his 70% Muslim class will say so and that will be an end to it.

Thanks for sharing Sprung. I wonder if there are more parents who share this persons view yet are too frightened of repercussions to add their voice.

@Hoppinggreen

Ah I see. Distressing children is ok with you.

It's the child's own fault and that of their parents if they are distressed by something distressing that their teacher deliberately and entirely unnecessarily shows them.

Gotcha.

Too many apologists for the protestors seem to forget that fascists aren't always white and Christian.....

@WireFan

Too many apologists for the protestors seem to forget that fascists aren't always white and Christian.....

Not enough apologists for the teacher seem to be able to say why they showed a an image that is famously distressing and offensive to Muslims to Muslim children likely to be both offended and distressed by it.

@BuggerBognor

It’s not distressing - it’s a cartoon FGS.

Jesus wept, some cultures believe that photography steals your soul. Do we remove all images of people from the curriculum or just tell them to get a grip?

Children are only distressed by this nonsense if they are brought up to learn that a cartoon is distressing. Don’t like it? Don’t look.

But turning up at school bellowing is not acceptable.

So there's nothing a teacher could show your child that you would object to as long as it was in cartoon form?

Give over.

The reason nobody is answering my question about why the teacher showed an image that is famously distressing and offensive to Muslims to Muslim children is because it's indefensible. There's no good reason to do it.

Hence all the victim blaming and whataboutery.

If the teacher didn't in fact do that then I'm sure his 70% Muslim class will say so and that will be an end to it.

Not the greatest critical thinker are you?

PrincessNutNuts but it's ok to threaten death to a man for doing his job in a country that has no blasphemy laws?

@MiddleParking

If the teacher didn't in fact do that then I'm sure his 70% Muslim class will say so and that will be an end to it.

Not the greatest critical thinker are you?

What d'you mean?

@Originalyellowbelly

PrincessNutNuts but it's ok to threaten death to a man for doing his job in a country that has no blasphemy laws?

You're going to have to quote me if you're suggesting that's my opinion.

A student has started a petition to keep the teachers. Sounds like the kids have more sense than the adults (I wonder how many are parents?).

Couldn’t agree more op.

I dont think anyone agrees with PrincessNutNuts. I am not white or Christian and agree that this is the thin end of the wedge. No apologies should have been made.

@EsmaCannonball

When I was at school we were shown extremely offensive Nazi posters of Jewish people. The teacher was not attempting to 'distress half the class' but rather to educate us about the inter-war period. Showing something does not automatically mean approving of it.

I think the big difference here is how the images shown are used in lessons. Images mocking Judaism are used to teach that they were/are drawn by evil, oppressive people and are completely unacceptable in today’s society.

toffeebutterpopcorn are these the same children that are so distressed by seeing a cartoon?

It doesn’t say.

Totally disagree with the protests - apparently now ended.

Obviously the teacher has not broken any laws and blasphemy is an important topic. I question the need to show this cartoon though.

According to the petition by the kids, the children were told what it was and given the chance to look away, so what exactly did he do wrong?

The reason nobody is answering my question about why the teacher showed an image that is famously distressing and offensive to Muslims to Muslim children is because it's indefensible. There's no good reason to do it.
From what I've read, the cartoon was shown in an RE lesson. The way RE is taught in the UK examines all sorts of ethical issues and I can certainly imagine that the question of the extent that one person's religious sensitivities should be allowed to trump another person's right to free speech would be the type of topic that would legitimately be discussed in an RE lesson. Are you against such issues being discussed in school @PrincessNutNuts? And don't come back with the argument that it wasn't "necessary" to show the cartoon. That is setting the bar too high for genuine freedom of speech.

Yeah except the teacher is the victim here princess.

Unfortunately and fortunately this is the age we are in and we need to teach our children resilience, esp those being raised in a religiously Liberal country, a democracy where we look and poke fun or discuss everything.. Everything is debatable.
It's clear most sensible progressive Muslims want to separate themselves from this medieval thuggery.