In Britain, children advised against drawing Jesus for sake of Muslims' feelings

An illustrative image of British schoolchildren in an art class. Photo: open sources

In Great Britain, controversy erupts after school guidelines advise children against drawing Jesus and other religious figures so as not to offend the feelings of Muslim families, reports Tribune Сhretienne.

These educational recommendations are contained in a document entitled "Sharing the Journey". The text encourages teachers to be mindful of certain religious sensitivities, particularly Muslim ones, in various school activities – from visual arts lessons to music, drama, physical education and religious education.

The text notes that in some interpretations of Islam, igurative imagery of human beings is considered idolatrous by some Muslims. In this regard, educators are advised to be mindful and avoid assignments in which children could depict Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad, or other figures considered prophets in Islam.

Such recommendations were particularly actively disseminated in some regions of the country where conflicts over religious caricatures had previously occurred. One such case several years ago caused protests at a school and led to a teacher who showed a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in class being placed under police protection.

The publication of the document immediately sparked strong political reactions and entailed discussion about the boundary between respect for religious feelings, freedom of expression, and the educational mission of public schools. Critics believe that such recommendations could lead to censorship and abandonment of cultural traditions associated with Europe's Christian heritage.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that in Britain, Christians opposed the idea of dresses for boys in school.

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