Quran School Incident

[Everanewbie]

The reaction to this non-incident is shameful. We're effectively charging this poor autistic boy with blasphemy and his mother is begging for his life.

I am failing to see the "religious extremists" and "zealots". The vast majority of Muslims do not fall into either category; just as the vast majority of Christians would not - but some would. People of faith are justifiably upset about what they see as offensive behaviour towards their holy book. I would think the same thing if the incident involved the local Christian churches and the Bible, or the Synogogue and the Torah. Suspending the pupils involved for a short time and ensuring that they understand how wrong and respectful they were is hardly dispropotionate. Humanists may not share those beliefs, but they have their own agenda to push and are, like you, using carefully worded language to push their own agenda. All you are doing is fanning the flames, and deliberately so.

@Quveas I accept that some muslims may find this offensive and be upset about something.

But there is a difference between finding something offensive and reacting with threats and violence, and it is that fear that has driven the reaction here. I don't find the disruption of a childs education and the involvement of the police proportionate for silly behaviour.

@Quveas and apologies for posting a reply twice, but in my book, a death threat towards children absolutely does constitute extremism.

What?

As a Muslim myself posts like this and moreover news articles are so unbelievably frustrating on so many levels.

1. you realise how little the UK population know about Muslims and Islam outside of outlandish cartoon esque stereotypes.

2. you realise how fucking ridiculous some Muslims are. Literally creating and perpetuating such harmful stereotypes that makes all Muslims seem backward. There is a very very famous verse that basically says ‘he who insults your religion..don’t sit with him’ not start a witch hunt. If the kid was purposely being disrespectful and trying to cause offense then yeah he should face some sort of consequences, like he should if it was another religion but the hysteria gets embarrassing

3. it’s a rallying cry for the islamaphobes to start shouting ‘tHey ARe imPosInG sHaRiA laW On uS’

@Lesschubtolove I'm married to a Muslim who is ashamed of the kind of lunatics that make death threats to disabled kids, as I believe all sane people should be.

It’s like any moral issue - views are personal to the holder. Calling it Jewish or Christian or Zoroastrian or frigging Jedi does not automatically confer respect, nor should it. Don’t believe in mistreating certain books? Don’t do it. Let others live according to their own beliefs, or none.

Who is issuing death threats? Seriously threats by adults or other foolish teenagers playing call of duty?

There is absolutely no indication of where any death threats have come from, locally, nationally, outside of the UK?

There's been misinformation flying around about the book being burnt and destroyed.

There is also no way anyone can say what the police have or haven't looked into.

The recent tensions in Leicester between Muslims and Hindus was fuelled by nationalist extremists in India and had the far right here calling to join "our Hindu brothers"

It's always easy to spot those that want to spread hatred by their use of exaggeration and inflammatory language.

No need to throw it in the bin, surely. She could have just handed it back. ( Or is there a clue in your reference to ‘fairy stories’?)

The Bible was hers to throw in the bin? Im
an atheist so I admit I don’t see why you wouldn’t. 🤷🏻‍♀️ What is the point in carting it around if you’ve no intention of reading it??

Actually the Christians would, I believe, be turning the other cheek, as instructed by their faith.

I can’t speak for any of the others you refer to, though the militant wing of Buddhism doesn’t seem to make the headlines often.

There was no one to hand it back to. She didn;t feel that she could refuse it from the teacher.

Waste? needlessly Offensive behaviour? Rude?

But I see I have run into the representative of the militant atheists , so I will abandon this exchange. I do hope you will be expressing your disapproval and scorn of other faiths with equal vigour and courage.

Well yes actually. Dd had at that time also read the Koran and had a working knowledge of several other faiths (she went on to get A* in RS a level eventually).

It was a freebie cheaply printed copy of a book she already had. She didn’t want it so she threw it away.

That article is so biased. So four white boys brought the Quran as a dare into a West Yorkshire school that has Muslim kids and the Humanist is expecting us to believe they treated it respectfully?

What a load of crap. It's obvious they brought it in to kick around in front of Muslim kids to upset them. Whatever your views on religion, this was a shitty thing to do. If the Muslim kids had done this to the Bible there would have been cries of terrorism.

I’ve literally done that in this thread @Allthegoodnamesarechosen ! People of no faith are surely allowed to live by their own (non-)beliefs too? Or do you really want to bring back the insanity of blasphemy laws?

I personally and probably unfairly see all people of faith as inherently weak-minded, but I realise that is my own bias speaking. I certainly wouldn’t single any faith out for special treatment. The only religious wedding I had was an Islamic one which we needed for inheritance reasons in my DH’s home country. Massively hypocritical of me, but not so different from those having religious weddings for the frock and photos! 🤷🏻‍♀️

An autistic child accidentally smudged a copy of the quaran that a Muslim child brought into school. Death threats have been issued, the children have been suspended and the police have been involved. But mumsnetters will be saying this is all perfectly fine.

Can you imagine the uproar if Muslim children were questioned by the police and given death threats, if this had happened to the bible. No you wouldn’t as it would not happen. We are bringing back blasphemy laws for one particular group in society and it’s hair trigger sensitivity.

Death threats are never ok. Death threats over an accident, towards children over a smudged book.

This was a good article on the event.

thecritic.co.uk/britains-blasphemy-laws/

It was stupid, I'm not trying to pretend that the boys were sensible, but they are kids, children, immature by definition. Its a bollocking from the teacher and maybe a school assembly, even. But police? Engaging local faith groups? Death threats? Its ridiculous.

When I was a teacher, students bought a cake from the local shop and brought into school. They ended up throwing it in a corridor and making a mess, damaging some A Level artwork that was on display. The three students involved were suspended - there was religion involved.

In this situation, students brought something into school, fucked around with it and damaged it. Even if you exclude the fact they were behaving like little shits (no one dares someone else to bring in a Qaran unless they're being a little shit) and ignore any religious factor, the punishment isn't unreasonable. No child innocently dares someone else to bring a religious text into school. When I was in Y9, a guy in Y11 brought in a bible and made a video of him eating it.

I've also received death threats - multiple times. In fact, I received them from parents whilst working as a teacher so the holier than thou on this site need not look too far for the kinds of people who make death threats. I've received them a lot as a lawyer. They almost never have any valid threat behind them. To compare what Salman Rushdie went through (and is still going through) with a simple death threat (whilst both are scary) is ridiculous. It's comparing a broken nail to a broken leg.

The BBC article doesn't mention anyone with autism. And does say that four pupils have been suspended (not one). Also that the Quran was not treated with the respect.

This is a diverse school, and according to the article, the school is working with the suspended pupils t ensure they understand why their actions are unacceptable.

Because in a diverse society, it is wrong to act in the way they did. You don't have to share a faith to realise how utterly wrongheaded it is to act provocatively with something you know the others around you hold dear.

I wish we could edit!!

The three students involved were suspended - there was religion involved.
I meant "The three students involved were suspended - there was NOT religion involved."

What madness!! If it was any other religion whose book got slightly damaged at a school, nobody would care. Why must we all tolerate this insanity 🙄

Erm I disagree on the last part, whether you believe it or not holy books (not sure about any Jedi texts) do hold significance to people and to destroy it or to denigrate one in anyway is an act of antagonism or prejudice or even racism and those things shouldn’t really be tolerated or let slide under the guise of live and let live. Religious texts, artefacts and places should be treated with respect, even if it means nothing to you, it does to others and that should be enough and the underlying principle of those who stoke the fires of hatred by drawing cartoons of Muhammad or ripping apart Qurans can’t be ignored. So I actually do think religious texts should be respected. That doesn’t mean kid leather gloves and shot at dawn for a creased cover but purposeful denigration is another matter. That a lunch time detention would solve. If a Muslim pupil was caught burning bibles that student should be disciplined also. It’s no one’s personal belief system that books should be destroyed.

That's not true. Someone on this exact thread has already said their DD was disciplined for binning a Bible at school.