‘Muslim’ stories and readers comments

With the exception of The Guardian, the National Union of Teachers report ‘In Good Faith’  has been largely represented in today’s news media as primarily a ‘Muslim’ story. Implicitly, Islam is the only religion deemed a threat to Britain and British society.

Muslim clerics ’should teach in British schools’ (Telegraph)
Imams help kids mix in schools (The Sun)
Union calls for end to single-faith schools (The Guardian)
Fury over plan to let imams teach the Koran in state schools (Daily Mail)
Schools ’should use imams and rabbis in classes’ (The Independent)
Preachers ‘should visit all schools’ (The Times)
Teach the Koran in our schools (Daily Star)

(The BBC website changed its original headline from ‘Schools could offer Koran classes’ to Call to offer faith class choice).

In fact, this wide ranging report proposes that faith leaders from all religious groups teach in schools, not just ‘Muslim clerics’. It also covers issues such as religious dress, worship, school assemblies and faith schools. By focusing on its ‘Muslim’ element, The Sun et al have ensured readers’ comments follow a similar focus, with the inevitable bigotted rants.

As noted in a previous blog, some news websites encourage readers to spew hysterical poison by including a ‘comments’ section below these supposedly ‘Muslim’ stories. Today is a splendid example of this trend. Here are just some of the readers’ comments posted so far:

“The NUT should be renamed the national union of traitors.” (Daily Mail); “we have not got enough teachers for our white british children sort that out before the needs of others…” (The Sun); “Now you’ll get rival gangs of Muslims and Hindus in the same school, with Sikhs and Buddhists for good measure, playing out geopolitical tension in miniature on the school playground.” (The Times); “here’s an idea. If you don’t like Britain and our Religion then go home or don’t come here. Get this idiots who make these suggestions and send them to the moon where they can do something like stare into space.” (The Sun); “Another step in allowing Islam to take over a country, just as it preaches in the Koran.” (Daily Mail)

Surely it’s the parents who need educating? Laugh? I nearly did!!

See also: Torygraph warns against Islamification of Britain (Islamophobia Watch)