Damn. Things have gone crazy – so crazy that it’s hard to keep up. Just to give you the bare list -
will miss the opening day of the Jaipur literary festival, organisers say, after protests by influential Muslim clerics in India.
A talk on sharia and human rights
organised by the Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society at Queen Mary, University London, had to be cancelled after threats of violence. The talk was due to be given by Anne Marie Waters of the One Law For All campaign, which campaigns against the use of Sharia in the UK.
Rhys Morgan was
called into a meeting with his head of year at his sixth form college, about the Jesus and Mo cartoon. He reports being harassed at school and being ostracized for posting the cartoon. He was later called in again to be told that they were considering expelling him if he didn’t take the cartoon down.
According to Rhys on Twitter a few minutes ago, they weren’t considering it; it was a certainty: take it down or you’re out.
Details to follow.
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sqlrob
January 17, 2012 at 10:58 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Expelled? What the ever loving fuck?
Ophelia Benson
January 17, 2012 at 11:03 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Precisely. It’s an absolute outrage.
julian
January 17, 2012 at 11:04 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I’m no fan of Jesus and Mo (stupid cartoon is stupid) but someone is going to be expelled over posting it? Really? Someone in a position of authority is such a weak minded, spineless individual they are going to expel someone over posting it?
I guess they don’t study or debate ideas in that school. Only explanation I can think of.
julian
January 17, 2012 at 11:09 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I probably shouldn’t call Jesus and Mo stupid. It isn’t. It’s just not funny.
jolo5309
January 17, 2012 at 11:12 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Let me get this clear, he could be expelled from school for having Jesus n Mo as his facebook avatar? I never knew FB carried such weight in English schools.
skepticlawyer
January 17, 2012 at 11:16 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Some HOY with far too much time on his hands is clearly squatting on facebook pages belonging to students in the Upper Sixth.
My, and I thought I was over policed at school. Not thinking that ever again…
Daniel Fincke
January 17, 2012 at 11:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I’m seeing red right now.
james
January 17, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The first two are bad enough. They are both outrageous infringements of freedom of speech/expression through bullying tactics which, although they can never be accepted, are (sadly) expected from the religious bullies.
Rhys’ ordeal today is fundamentally the same in many ways, but at the same time the idea of teachers and administrators at a British state school threatening a pupil with expulsion for being the victim of religious bullies somehow gets to me much more.
Mike Warren
January 17, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The school has behaved very badly, probably illegally. If Rhys had been excluded and had challenged the exclusion, his appeal would most likely have been upheld. Sadly, it would have been a very unpleasant experience for Rhys and his family. Thanks to the school, the bullies have got what they wanted.
Ophelia Benson
January 17, 2012 at 11:42 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
It’s unpleasant for Rhys and his family anyway. He tweeted about his sister.
It’s just…
patrick
January 17, 2012 at 1:26 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The kind of thing that brings the barrack room lawyer out in me. I can’t believe a school could legally get away with expelling someone because of the avatar they chose to use on a social networking site.
I’d have been interested to see what my old sixth year HOY , who went on to become the Vice-Chair of the All-Party Humanist Group in the House of Commons some years later, would have made of it…
Sari Mcjunkins
January 22, 2012 at 3:40 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Aye Captain :=)
It looks like the xians didn’t get the wingnut memo about how much worse the moslems are. | voice from the pack
January 17, 2012 at 2:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
[...] one – moslem intolerance. Anti -Rushdie (no surprise there), anti free speech for a schoolboy and threatening behaviour at a discussion. “The same man [...]