To ask you not to judge all Muslims by the actions of the men outside the school

[flashbac]

Hi

It shouldn't need saying but...

Please don't judge us all by the actions of a vocal few.

Some have already acknowledged the protesters were mostly if not all angry young men with seemingly nothing better to do. They don't represent all Muslims.

As Batley's late former MP said:
"We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”

Islam isn't a race (you can not convert into a race)- but idiots certainly have trouble realising that. To them, someone from Indian subcontinent = muslim.

all these cartoons are highly offensive in one way or another

Yes they are, they are designed to be, they are still out there, they won’t go away and they will have an impact upon these students directly or indirectly, so why shouldn’t they have an opportunity to view and discuss them in a supportive school environment? Would they be better off coming across/being directly targeted with them online alone?

@BrumBoo

I don't blame any individual Muslim for the actions of a few, whether it's a reaction over a silly cartoon or much bigger and destructive actions made in the supposed name of Islam. I don't like or agree with Islam as a religion, but no more or less than any other religion or social belief system that has a profoundly negative effect on people. As the saying goes 'Love the sinner not the sin', well I have no issue with an individual, just the ideology they may follow.

Sums it up for me ...

What is this about. There is nothing on my news app.

@Idroppedthescrewinthetuna

What is this about. There is nothing on my news app.

It hasn't seemed to feature much in the news for some reason. A teacher in a school was discussing blasphemy with his class, and part of the material was a depiction of the prophet Mohammed. Load of blokes turned up outside the school to protest and the teacher has now been moved to a safe house.

I would never judge all Muslims on the actions of a few.

I don't and wouldn't judge all Muslims as one.
It is a sad state of affairs. I understand it is blasphemy and insulting, this teachers life is now at risk.
It was an important lesson to teach the DC you can't police education but foolish also for the teacher considering what happened in France.

None of those parents have kids in that school. These guys have travelled there to protest. That’s why the school, it’s students, the parents of students, and the local Muslim Association (whose founders probably do send their kids there) aren’t taking these protestors seriously.

It’s a good grammar school and one of the few that talented Muslim kids attend without risk of being brainwashed - I have family up there who aim to get their kids in and they have already expressed concern their (muslim) kids might get targetted now

Just because the media didn't show you it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Never a truer word spoken.

I don’t know where most get their news from but this has been a big story in all the main stream media. The Times has reported extensively upon it, as has the BBC.

I think protesting is one thing but the teacher feeling in danger or losing his job is unacceptable.

I judge people as I find them, as I'm sure most decent people do. Please don't feel you have to apologize for idiots that are nothing to do with you, just because you are the same religion. There are good and bad in every walk of life and if someone judges a whole race on just a few people then they are probably not worth bothering with anyway.

No one gave a shiny shit 10-15 odd years ago when South Park drew the Prophet in one of their episodes. It wasn't banned at the time. Several death threats were issued people were jailed for threats ATT.

@callmeH

I couldn’t agree more.

#Notallmuslims
#Notallwhitepeople
#Notallmen

Wow a quarter of people of have responded will judge all Muslims on this small section of society. Fuck me.
I hope you are all happy to be judged by a small representative of people who happen to be white/Christians or however you identify. The actions of Proudboys or Neo-Nazi's or those protestors in Bristol last week.

Religious people trying to control what others say, think, and do? Shocker!

@Oneweekleft

Im a muslim and when i first heard about cartoons of Muslims i thought its ok its just a drawing but when i actually looked at the cartoons which are from Charlie hebdo they were extremely offensive. One that particularly stood out for me was a muslim woman in hijab naked from waist down giving birth legs wide open. Think implying women are just baby making machines in Islam.Of course this is going to be offensive . Its hateful and unecessary. They should expect a reaction if they are going to mock people in this manner. Its wrong to show things like this in schools.

I think the cartoon you're referencing was depicting the birth of Jesus, and was deemed offensive to Christians: qz.com/322550/charlie-hebdo-has-had-more-legal-run-ins-with-christians-than-with-muslims/

Apologies if I've got the wrong one though

@Blueeyedgirl21

Religion shouldn’t even be in schools. Any religion. If you want your child to be educated with a religious ‘slant’ or ethos you should have to pay to put them in a specialist school IMO

RE lessons explore a multitude of religions and faiths, it's not to 'push' a religion on pupils. Do you not think it is something everyone benefits from learning? I do, the lessons are also about thinking critically and a chance to engage in more theological debates that they can't do in other lessons.

@GreenSlide thank you for explaining.

Of course Jesus was white as are Arabs. Greek and Spanish, and Turkish people etc.
I belive that if checked most muslims in the world are white.

Religion is religion, nothing sacred about it. In countries like the UK (similarly for example Sweden) where church is a part of political system and ha sits role in public life the right to criticise religion, even make unfunny jokes is crucial for democracy.

Making fun of people based on characteristics like their skin colour or place of origin is a totally different issue and we have words to describe it without making a special case for one particular religion.

Many of those Charlie hebdo cartoons are good satire and yes I saw Mary giving birth to jesus in that link?

Was there a different one?

@Oneweekleft

Im a muslim and when i first heard about cartoons of Muslims i thought its ok its just a drawing but when i actually looked at the cartoons which are from Charlie hebdo they were extremely offensive. One that particularly stood out for me was a muslim woman in hijab naked from waist down giving birth legs wide open. Think implying women are just baby making machines in Islam.Of course this is going to be offensive . Its hateful and unecessary. They should expect a reaction if they are going to mock people in this manner. Its wrong to show things like this in schools.

Yes I agree, completely wrong that this was shown in a school. It's not just that it was an 'image of the prophet' but that it was a highly offensive 'cartoon' designed to provoke.

Unm.. Then learn on not reacting? Shrug and let it go.. Most peoples do?

I would imagine that the context that is was being shown was how islam is misrepresented. Unfortunately I think the behaviour outside the school will just reinforce those prejudices.

"I would never judge all Muslims on the actions of a few."

Not targetting the PP quoted above but using it to highlight the double standards.
The last few weeks MNers have been very unfairly judging (some very rabidly) ALL MEN on the actions of a few, and previous to that ALL WHITE people on the actions of a few, wrongly grouping them together to make them ALL complicit and responsible for the whole group.

You cant have it all ways- you are uncomfortable with people reacting to insults so you say dont react? yet you dont care that those jokes make others uncomfortable. What im saying is insulting people will always provoke a reaction among some individuals. I dont know why people are suprised.