A Muslim father in Melbourne says his daughter was left with “psychological trauma” after being proven a “blasphemous” cartoon of Muhammad throughout a 12 months 11 class.
Posting on social media, the daddy stated the incident occurred at a Melbourne school 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)”.
In line with the Herald Solar, the offending cartoon is believed to be a Charlie Hebdo entrance web page from 2015, which sparked a terrorist shooting massacre 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 one in all 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 baby to view that content material. Forcing a baby to view content material is against the law and in opposition to the regulation. This has aggravated my baby 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 one in all a collection of examples utilized in a lesson on hybridised media and its results on social media and the viewers.
The instructor cautioned the category that probably “confronting” content material can 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 form of occasions mustn’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 executed 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 12 months 11, the place this completely unacceptable content material was displayed. We are going to take this additional if our issues will not be 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 evaluation is accomplished and the division has consulted with group teams a choice will likely be made as as to whether any additional recommendation needs to be supplied to colleges in relation to comparable 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 a press release final week, the Islamic Council of Victoria stated “many within the Muslim group at the moment are conscious of the regarding incident” which had “brought about severe 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 Help Service attended this assembly in addition to a DET consultant, a lawyer appearing as a help particular person for the daddy, and different supporters of the household”.
“Quite a few actions got here out of the assembly together with a dedication from the varsity to not train 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 chance to speak to the varsity group about Islam and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).”
The ICV added that it was “searching for to urgently verify whether or not this offensive content material is a normal 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 comparable materials will not be taught as a part of the usual curriculum at any public faculty”.
It’s understood that the fabric will not be a part of required curriculum instructing in Victorian authorities faculties.
“As Australians, we imagine that it is rather affordable to count on that the fabric taught in our faculties doesn’t critically offend members of various communities and is cognisant of Australia’s multi-faith and multicultural range,” 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 loss of life 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 girl beheaded — one in all three killed — throughout a bloody rampage inside Good’s Basilica of Notre-Dame by a Tunisian-born knifeman.
frank.chung@information.com.au