Perhaps Ali can explain to me why talk
about pigs is offensive. I can see why getting served ham for lunch would be offensive, but talking about them? How would a Muslim study zoology?

Let us note that this means essentially banning both "Animal Farm' and 'Charlotte's Web'.



So this is where "progress" is leading us? This is the end result of "We must not offend any person at any time no matter what?" The answer is not for British Muslims to open their minds, but rather for all of us to close ours? And that of our children?? 'Charlotte's Web' is now "hate literature"?



I know this is Britian, who stand with is much more than "Old Europe", but if this is were you guys collectively are going on the other side of the Atlantic, you go there alone, or certainly not with us. We (US) will have no part of this reprehensible, immoral, craven, cowardly, anti-hope, anti-life, anti-freedom thinking. We will oppose it, gun in hand, and we will never relent.... never.



Does that frighten people? GOOD. Glad to hear it. Your ideology as seen here frightens us, not because it will be imposed upon us (it will not, see "gun in hand" reference above), but because it will destroy you, and we need to prepare ourselves for that eventuality.



Saddest thing I ever heard, but it is probably out of our hands.

Andrew X--



Huckleberry Finn
, which I think it is safe to say is the consensus great American novel, has been run out of any number of schools because of its entirely appropriate use of the "N" word -- despite its clear anti-slavery, anti-bigotry message.

A good point about Huck Finn. I also know that there has been a backlash to same.



Point is, we either fight this thinking or lay down to it. I choose the former. I hope enough Brits do the same. I know that they still have it in them. Across the channel might be a lost cause.

If it offends their religious sensibilities why cram it down their throats? Their parents can read them Charlotte's Web and Animal Farm if they want to.

If they were books about Muslims eating pigs, then ban away.



But I bet not.



Bowing to this (as we did in some places with Huck Finn) is surrendering to sectarian hypersensitivity and PC silliness.



Regards,

Jeff Guinn

Muslims are offended by dogs, too. Lassie, go home!



Ecrasez l'infame!

Jeff:



That's what tolerance is. You can't ban all mention of religion in class on the one hand and then offend the religious sensibility of nearly every family in the school on the other. With tolerance you abandon assertions of truths and settle for pabulum that all can digest.

Harry:



Other than Mark Caldwell's A+-winning diorama of Call of the Wild, I recall not a single lesson from school to which the dog was vital.

James Taranto links to this excellent story
in the Yorkshire Post. Highlight:



Yorkshire Muslims condemned the move as "nonsense", as their holy book, the Koran, permits followers of Islam to talk or read about pigs as long as they do not eat their meat.

Bradford magistrate Bary Malik, an Ahmadiyya Muslim, said: "Every day Muslims recite passages from the Koran.

"As the Koran mentions pig, Muslims must say that word. All the Koran says you should not do is eat pork, but there is no harm in using the word or reading it.

"This school has gone too far – what will they do next, ban the word cow because Hindus believe the cow is sacred?"

OJ:



I am intolerant of intolerance. I am also not intolerant of religion in schools, unless it involves the imposition of one set of beliefs upon others.



I think one of the reasons the West has been so successful is a secular public space combined with unfettered private religious freedom--it is our culture. Immigrants come here voluntarily, if they aren't willing to abide by our civic culture, or find it bothersome, then by all means they should use that return ticket.



If I were Go...those words don't track, not from me, anyway...If I were some Head Dude What's in Charge, I would mandate all High School students take a year long class in religion. It would, in turn, investigate each of the major faiths (including atheism), claims, contradictions, warts and all.



Regards,

Jeff Guinn

Jeff:



That seems reasonable.

Well my parents live near the area and I lived part of my early life there.



It's just a typically retarded decision made by the craven, politically correct educational establishment.



Heaven forbid they focus their attention on improving the standards of what are currrently among the worst schools in Britain instead of coming up with this BS.



I wonder if they actually bothered asking a Muslim about this inane pronouncement? We're not allowed to eat pigs the same as being banned from drinking, gambling and fornicating but there's no ban on talking about these.



Finally one of my favourite books when I was five or six was Emil and His Pig and I'd be pretty narked off if those morons banned kids from reading those.

Jeff -- you would not offend Christians if you said "open and free-wheeling public space, from which no person and no ideas are excluded" rather than "secular public space." "Secular" is often used to indicate an exclusion of religious ideas and people. With that meaning, if public space must be secular, then Christians are second-class citizens.

Where are the diversity police? Surely the little apprentice bigots would benefit from exposure to a range of views about pigs.



In fact, no man can consider himself civilized who has not sampled Tennessee pit-cooked pulled pork barbecue, collards cooked with sowbelly and hushpuppies fried in lard. Why, let those little kids try any of those and they'll never ask for camel's eyeballs again.

pj:



There are two alternatives: secular, which excludes all
religion, and sectarian, which excludes some
--it just isn't possible to include all. Secularism is at least equal in its lack of opportunity.



Given the high religiosity of Americans, it is impossible keep religion out of government; after all, it is those same religious Americans doing the governing. And since they can avail themselves of their religion any time they choose, why bring preaching into the public square?



Think of a Navy wardroom. Virtually everyone is religious, but it is the height of bad manners to discuss religion.



Regards,