In a fresh provocation to Australian Muslim community, a Melbourne school has been accused of forcing a Muslim student to watch an offensive cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
According to the student’s father, a teacher at the college in north Melbourne allegedly played to the class an “explicit and blasphemous” that depicted the Prophet, prompting an investigation by the state government, The Guardian reported.
“My daughter also tried to express her discomfort at the video but unfortunately the teacher didn’t care and continued to play the video, forcing my child to view that content,” the father wrote in a Facebook post.
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“This has aggravated my child and my family’s sentiments in a painful manner and has put us in a painful psychological and mental trauma.
“We as Muslims cannot tolerate anything against our holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”
The video was one of a series of examples on “hybridized media” and its effects on social media.
The father demanded an apology from the school as well as an explanation for why the cartoon was necessary.
“We want a formal apology and we demand explanation why this kind of event even happened,” he wrote.
“We also demand that the teacher should be *suspended* from the school and an inquiry should be conducted.”
Extremely Upset
Criticizing the school, the Islamic Council of Victoria said in a statement that members of the Muslim community in Melbourne were “extremely upset” by the incident.
“The ICV understands that many in the community are extremely upset about what they have heard and want to voice their anger and disapproval,” the statement read.
Meeting with the education department and the school, the council said they received a promise to no longer use the material.
“As Australians, we believe that it is very reasonable to expect that the material taught in our schools does not seriously offend members of different communities and is cognizant of Australia’s multi-faith and multi-cultural diversity,” the council said.
In the meantime, a spokesperson for the Victorian department of education said a review of the incident was under way.
“The department is reviewing this incident. Once the review is complete, the department will decide whether any extra advice should be provided to schools in relation to similar sensitive issues.
“Full support is being provided to any student that has been affected.”
Muslims made up 2.6% of the population of 26 million, according to the last census in 2016. This was up from 2.2% in the 2011 census.
According to the 2016 census, 42% of Muslims live in Greater Sydney, 31% in Greater Melbourne, and 8% in Greater Perth.