No Laughing Matter: Can Showing Religiously Sensitive Cartoons in the Classroom Ever Be Justified?

In response to concerns about the rising influence of extremist radicalism, religious and political, on the potentially vulnerable, England passed the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act of 2015. The duty of English schools under this Act, commonly known as “Prevent,” is to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism” in all its forms. In summary, the duty to Prevent assumes the following: 1. protect school families from radicalisation and extremism; 2. identify any individual vulnerabilities and changes in behavior; 3. have a sound understanding of what steps to take if you have concerns about extremism; 4. teach how to build resistance to extremist ideas and terrorist ideology. 

When fulfilling their duty to Prevent, schools answer to local government, who in turn must by law assess risk and coordinate Prevent activity in schools, with senior officers providing advice and support and overseeing effective monitoring. The duty is controversial. Young people’s wellbeing and the need to safeguard them is of paramount concern, but there are concerns that Prevent reinforces popular stereotypes of Islam and Muslims. This adds to the pedagogic challenges that teachers and schools must navigate when crafting their response to the duty in their particular context.

In this fictional case, a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) with a sizable Muslim cohort faces a dilemma. One of their schools, with a cohort of predominantly white, non-Muslim pupils, has been vandalized by students with anti-Islamic cartoons, seemingly inspired by cartoons which appeared in the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, satirizing the Prophet Muhammad. This may be linked to a recent Prevent activity which discussed but did not show these cartoons. Now, the MAT leadership must decide whether a revised Prevent lesson including the controversial cartoons will bring more benefit than harm. The lesson aims to teach students about the underlying causes of Islamophobia, but showing the cartoon may cause harm to the Muslim community, at the school and in the larger MAT. The case aims to help teachers and school leaders consider how they might balance respect for freedom of expression with the need to create a caring and inclusive environment for all students.

• To read how a similar situation in a West Yorkshire school manifested, as well as the school’s and community’s response, view this article form The Guardian, "Teacher suspended over use of Charlie Hebdo cartoons."
• To view the UK government’s guidance on the Prevent law in schools, visit this document.
• To learn more about other approaches to discussing controversial issues in the classroom, see this guide.