Authorities Withdraw Textbook from Kashmir After Controversial Depiction of Prophet
Image Courtesy: Free Press Kashmir
Srinagar: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have called for a ban on class VII textbook which purportedly depicted the picture of Islamic prophet Muhammad, triggering outrage in the region.
The office of the district magistrate Srinagar, in a communication to Srinagar city’s Senior Superintendent of Police, asked him to take action against the publisher of the book as well as its distributor following which the police have filed a case in the incident.
The textbook has used an image of prophet Muhammad shown with archangel Gabriel. The depiction of the prophet has drawn serious criticism, especially on social media networks, where many called out the publisher for being insensitive toward the community. Muslims consider visual representation or imagery of all Islamic icons as sacrilegious.
“This is a horrific attack on the heart of Muslims,” Twitter user Samiullah said.
A religious body, The Islamic Fraternity of Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday termed publishing of the objectionable content in History and Civics of edition-2020 for class VII as a “conspiracy” against the community.
“This was a conspiracy being hatched by the Delhi based JAY CEE PUBLICATIONS against the Muslim community which got exposed well before the time,” IFJK president Mohammad Amir said.
The group, which termed the Srinagar district administration’s action as timely, however, said that such acts have become frequent but this has happened for the first time in Kashmir valley. They added that the publisher had not honoured the prophet even once and had mentioned his name without using Islamic honorifics like Peace Be Upon Him.
The group also urged people to boycott the books published by Delhi-based Jay Cee Publications and blacklist the publisher’s books. They also appealed to the preachers to speak on the issue during the congregational prayers on the coming Friday.
“We also request the Private School Associations and parents to blacklist the books being published by the publication house,” Amir said.
The regional school board has also called for withdrawal of the controversial book from the market and asked the schools to stop its use in case they have introduced it. “If the textbook is being used in any school, it must be withdrawn immediately. Otherwise strict action as warranted under the provisions of law shall be initiated,” a board official said in a statement.
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