Teacher refuses to return to work and fears for his life after Prophet Muhammad cartoon row
He ‘genuinely fears that he could be killed’, friend says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A teacher who sparked a row by showing his class a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad still fears for his life and refuses to return to his job despite being reinstated, it has been revealed.
The staff member at Batley Grammar School in Yorkshire was initially suspended in March after the incident, pending an investigation into the matter.
He had used the image - reportedly taken from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo - in a Year 9 religious studies lesson about freedom of expression.
He and two of his colleagues were reinstated to their positions in late May, after an independent inquiry found they had not meant to cause offence.
However, the unnamed teacher remains in hiding with his family, living in a secret location not known to even their close relatives.
A friend of his told The MailOnline: “On paper, he’s got his job back but returning to the school is not a possibility.
“An inquiry might have cleared him, but it doesn’t mean a thing because he doesn’t feel safe teaching there and genuinely fears that he could be killed.”
‘His two colleagues feel exactly the same. The matter needs to be resolved so that they can have a decent future,” they added.
Death threats were made against the individual after details of the lesson emerged, with angry protesters gathering outside the school in March.
This came five months after the French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in Paris for showing his students a satirical image of the prophet Muhammad.
When the investigation’s findings were released last month, the Batley Multi Academy Trust, which runs the west Yorkshire school, said it “deeply regrets the distress” caused by the row and vowed to make changes “immediately”.
It said that staff members did not need to use the cartoon “to deliver the learning outcomes on the subject of blasphemy”.
At the time, the National Education Union, which welcomed the decision to reinstate the teachers, said the Department for Education (DfE) should give clearer guidance to schools on how to teach difficult aspects of the RE curriculum.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments