A 29-year-old religions teacher at Batley Grammar School and his family were forced into hiding and police protection after he received death threats for showing a cartoon of Muhammad to his class. The school suspended in-person instruction.
In March 2021, a schoolteacher at Batley Grammar School in the United Kingdom showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad from Charlie Hebdo in his religious studies class. Reportedly, it was part of a lesson on the concept of blasphemy, and he gave warning before showing the image that “it would be controversial.” When word spread as to what happened, some parents of Muslim students responded angrily to what they viewed as the teacher’s offensive and insensitive act, and they took to protesting outside the school.
“When he starts speaking, he just breaks down and cries. He's become an emotional wreck. He feels that everything is broken and to be honest, it's hard to console him at the moment because that is the truth.” - father of the teacher
The teacher soon apologized for showing the cartoon, and he was suspended from his position as the school pledged to investigate the incident. However, his personal situation improved little in the short term; he continued to receive a deluge of harassment, including death threats, some of which his family also bore. “Groups of young men” reportedly began to show up at his home, after which he installed surveillance equipment. Fear for his and his family’s safety progressed to the point that they were forced into hiding.
The teacher was allowed to resume teaching in May 2021 after an investigation cleared him of wrongdoing, although the investigators recommended depictions of the Prophet "never" be used in the classroom again. The name of the teacher has not been released, presumably for the aforementioned safety concerns.
