Today’s Jesus and Mo strip is called “Batley”, and a note explains:
The story of Batley Grammar School and the Motoon is here.
In short, the British teacher showed his grammar-school pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad as part of a lesson in religious education. The teacher was fired, the school apologized, but locals (presumably Muslims) continued to stalk the teacher at his home, so that he now fears for his life. There were big protests at the school, and the teacher has gone into hiding (there’s another article at The Daily Fail).
Mo gets the attitude of The Offended pretty much right.
I like the title of the newspaper J is reading
Actually, Jesus kind of nailed it.
It’s a description that applies in SO MANY circumstances. Brilliant.
I’ve always imagined that this ban of showing images of the Prophet Muhammad could be battled effectively using the “I am Spartacus” ploy. If a sufficient number of people violated their odious rule for long enough, perhaps it would take the sting out of it. We might have to do it once a year, perhaps on a Muslim holy day. It could work but no one wants to be the instigator.
Apparently it seems to be a modern thing in the religious revival of recent centuries, & Iranians di not have that prohibition…
The trouble is that such an initiative might have consequences for the organisers and a lot of the rest of us are cowards using such excuses not to do it as “it would offend millions of peace loving Muslims”. It’s been tried before
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody_Draw_Mohammed_Day
Personally, I don’t understand why we have to respect a made up belief that causes people to make death threats to other people for drawing pictures and I would have more respect for the millions of peace loving Muslims if they’d do something about the murderous bastards in their midst who’d kill cartoonists, but I’d think very carefully about getting involved in an “everybody draw Mohammed” day without anonymity.
As you say, it might be nice if the peace-loving Muslims would do something about modernizing their religion, though their leaders are in a better position to do so. I don’t watch this closely but my impression is that they aren’t doing nearly enough.
The Batley teacher was suspended, pending an investigation but not fired. Rival petitions are calling on the school to either reinstate or sack the teacher.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-56587709
Every time I read one of these (far too many) stories, I’m impressed that the person in question must have either desired early retirement and endless trouble, or been exceptionally stupid (or at least oblivious, which at some point becomes the same thing).
Unless we adopt some mechanism like the one suggested by Paul Topping (I approve, BTW), this is going to happen EVERY time someone “steps out of line,” in the estimation of the perennially offended.
Wait – the Batley teacher showed the class pictures of “Mo”, the well-established body-double for Mohammed?
This is beautifully done. One of his better ones (they’re all good.)