Florida parents want 2 books banned over ‘promoting Quran’
A small coalition of parents in the US state of Florida are making attempts to ban two children’s books, set in Iraq and Afghanistan, arguing that they “promote reading” the holy Quran.
Eight petitions had been filed that would be handled at the school level in an attempt to ban Nasreen’s Secret School (seen below) and The Librarian of Basra, the Guardian reported on Monday, citing a district spokesperson.
A Facebook post prompting the petition said the two books “promote reading the (holy) Quran and... (the Prophet) Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
They also argue that the books depict the violence raging on in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"But neither book is about religion and educational groups have said the books are acceptable for that age group," read the Guardian report
Nasreen’s Secret School portrays an Afghan girl who is sent by her grandmother to a secret school for girls, while The Librarian of Basra, inspired by a 2003 New York Times story, is about the person who saved parts of the Basra library’s collection before the building was on fire following the British forces’ occupation of the southeastern Iraqi city.
According to the Guardian, Christine Jenkins, an associate professor at the University of Illinois who studies children’s literature and censorship, was shocked upon hearing the news of the petition.
“They know very well that they can’t protect their children from any depiction of violence,” said Jenkins, who has read both books. “And this book is such a thoughtful perspective of wartime and what wartime does to a city and the various things you would think when you’re considering – what’s the impact of war?”
Written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, the books are based on true stories.
“If you want to take it out of the library, you want to take it out of the classroom, it’s not ‘my school’, it’s ‘our school’ and there could very well be parents and children who are eager to read about contemporary issues,” Jenkins added.
A similar initiative to ban the books failed in New York in 2013.
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