Daily Mail

Muslims fury forces schools to shelve anti-homophobia storybooks for 5-year-olds


By LAURA CLARK - More by this author » Last updated at 08:45am on 2nd April 2008  Comments (48)

Two primary schools have withdrawn storybooks about same-sex relationships after objections from Muslim parents.


Up to 90 gathered at the schools to complain about the books which are aimed at pupils as young as five.


One story, titled King & King, is a fairytale about a prince who turns down three princesses before marrying one of their brothers.

 
Another named And Tango Makes Three features two male penguins who fall in love at a New York zoo.


Bristol City Council said the two schools had been using the books to ensure they complied with gαy rights laws which came into force last April.


They were intended to help prevent homophobic bullying, it said.


But the council has since removed the books from Easton Primary School and Bannerman Road Community School, both in Bristol.


A book and DVD titled That's a Family!, which teaches children about different family set-ups including gαy or lesbian parents, has also been withdrawn.


The decision was made to enable the schools to "operate safely" after parents voiced their concerns at meetings.


Around 40 are said to have gathered at Easton to speak to staff and another 50 at Bannerman Road.


Members of the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society said parents were upset at the lack of consultation over the use of the materials.


Farooq Siddique, community development officer for the society and a governor at Bannerman Road, said there were also concerns about whether the stories were appropriate for young children.


"The main issue was there was a total lack of consultation with parents," he said.

"The schools refused to deal with the parents, and were completely authoritarian.


"The agenda was to reduce homophobic bullying and all the parents said they were not against that side of it, but families were saying to us 'our child is coming home and talking about same-sex relationships, when we haven't even talked about heterosɛҳuąƖ relationships with them yet'..............................