A Muslim father in Melbourne says his daughter was left with “psychological trauma” after being proven a “blasphemous” cartoon of Muhammad throughout a Yr 11 class.
Posting on social media, the daddy stated the incident occurred at a Melbourne faculty final month throughout a media research class, the place the instructor performed a video displaying “banned, express and blasphemous cartoon materials developed someplace in Europe in opposition to our Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”.
Based on the Herald Solar, the offending cartoon is believed to be a Charlie Hebdo entrance web page from 2015, which sparked a terrorist capturing bloodbath on the French satirical journal’s Paris headquarters that left 12 useless and 11 injured.
The Melbourne father stated the fabric proven to class on Friday, October 14 depicted “two males appearing out doing ‘issues’ to one another and certainly one of them was proven to be the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”.
“As per the Non secular Discrimination Invoice 2021, it’s clearly an act of non secular discrimination,” he wrote.
“My daughter additionally tried to precise her discomfort on the video however sadly the instructor didn’t care and continued to play the video, forcing my youngster to view that content material. Forcing a toddler to view content material is illegitimate and in opposition to the legislation. This has aggravated my youngster and my household’s sentiments in a painful method and has put us in a painful psychological and psychological trauma.”
It’s understood that the picture proven was certainly one of a sequence of examples utilized in a lesson on hybridised media and its results on social media and the viewers.
The instructor cautioned the category that doubtlessly “confronting” content material could be introduced and suggested college students they have been free to take away themselves in the event that they wished.
The Muslim scholar raised objections to the fabric however didn’t go away the category and the instructor continued.
Now the daddy has demanded a proper apology and rationalization, and an assurance that “such sort of occasions shouldn’t happen in any establishments” in future.
“We additionally demand that the instructor needs to be suspended from the varsity and an inquiry needs to be carried out in opposition to him,” he wrote.
“Lastly, we demand equal time. To cowl the injury achieved by [the teacher], we demand that the varsity invitations a Muslim scholar who will clarify the persona and standing of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to the varsity and particularly the category of yr 11, the place this completely unacceptable content material was displayed. We’ll take this additional if our issues aren’t met.”
It’s understood the varsity has reached out to the involved household and is providing help to the affected scholar.
Victoria’s Division of Schooling and Coaching (DET) confirmed it was “reviewing this incident”.
“As soon as the evaluate is accomplished and the division has consulted with group teams a choice might be made as as to whether any further recommendation needs to be supplied to varsities in relation to related delicate points,” a spokesman stated.
“Full help is being supplied to any scholar that has been affected.”
The DET declined to say whether or not any help was being supplied to the instructor.
In an announcement final week, the Islamic Council of Victoria stated “many within the Muslim group at the moment are conscious of the regarding incident” which had “induced critical misery to a Muslim scholar”.
The ICV stated the varsity’s principal met with the daddy late final month to debate the problem.
Additionally current on the assembly have been “a consultant from the ICV’s Islamophobia Assist Service attended this assembly in addition to a DET consultant, a lawyer appearing as a help individual for the daddy, and different supporters of the household”.
“A variety of actions got here out of the assembly together with a dedication from the varsity to not educate this offensive materials once more,” it stated.
“There are ongoing discussions with the varsity in relation to the conduct of the instructor in query, the request for a public apology from the varsity, and a possibility to speak to the varsity group about Islam and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).”
The ICV added that it was “looking for to urgently affirm whether or not this offensive content material is a typical a part of the DET curriculum, and, if that’s the case, we are going to ask DET to instantly withdraw this content material and commit to making sure that this or related materials shouldn’t be taught as a part of the usual curriculum at any public college”.
It’s understood that the fabric shouldn’t be a part of required curriculum instructing in Victorian authorities faculties.
“As Australians, we consider that it is rather cheap to anticipate that the fabric taught in our faculties doesn’t significantly offend members of various communities and is cognisant of Australia’s multi-faith and multicultural variety,” the ICV stated.
The displaying of Charlie Hebdo cartoons in lecture rooms has beforehand sparked violent backlash.
In 2020, French highschool instructor Samuel Paty was beheaded on the street by a Chechen terrorist after displaying college students the Charlie Hebdo Muhammad cartoons.
“Samuel had angered mother and father by displaying an image of a nude Prophet Muhammad to children in his freedom of expression class, and there had been threats in opposition to him,” a colleague stated on the time.
Days later the 47-year-old was stabbed to demise and beheaded on the road by 18-year-old Russian nationwide Abdullakh Anzorov.
The horrific killing sparked widespread protests in France, with President Emmanuel Macron launching a renewed crackdown on radical Islam and Prophet Muhammad cartoons displayed throughout the nation in solidarity with Mr Paty.
That in flip sparked additional assaults, with a lady beheaded — certainly one of three killed — throughout a bloody rampage inside Good’s Basilica of Notre-Dame by a Tunisian-born knifeman.
frank.chung@information.com.au
Initially printed as Melbourne Muslim dad livid after ‘blasphemous’ Charlie Hebdo cartoon proven to Yr 11 class
