Three Little Pigs Shunned By British Government for Fear of Offending Muslims
Muslims in Britain are offended
by the story "The Three Little Pigs" and want it banned from schools. They have also asked for any pig representations to be removed from office spaces (such as pig figurines and the like.) Now the government has rejected from award consideration a story based on the fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs,"
because it might offend Muslims.
A story based on the Three Little Pigs fairy tale has been turned down by a government agency's awards panel as the subject matter could offend Muslims.
The digital book, re-telling the classic story, was rejected by judges who warned that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".
Becta, the government's educational technology agency, is a leading partner in the annual Bett Award for schools.
The judges also attacked Three Little Cowboy Builders for offending builders.
The book's creative director, Anne Curtis, said the idea that including pigs in a story could be interpreted as racism was "like a slap in the face".
The CD-Rom digital version of the traditional story of the three little pigs, called Three Little Cowboy Builders, is aimed at primary school children.
But judges at this year's Bett Award said that they had "concerns about the Asian community and the use of pigs raises cultural issues".
The Three Little Cowboy Builders has already been a prize winner at the recent Education Resource Award -- but its Newcastle-based publishers, Shoo-fly, were turned down by the Bett Award panel.
The feedback from the judges explaining why they had rejected the CD-Rom highlighted that they "could not recommend this product to the Muslim community".
They also warned that the story might "alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)".
This is absolutely daft. So high school students can't read Animal Farm now because it contains pigs? This is taking cultural sensitivity to an absurd place. Free the three little pigs!
