Mosque depicted as noisy – Indian textbook receives criticism

Once more, a controversial illustration in an Indian textbook sparked a debate about the objectivity and professionalism of its authors. In recent cases, there were textbooks declaring Jesus Christ a demon or explaining the necessity of breathing by the demonstration of a cat being suffocated. The actual image that gives cause to complaints shows a man protecting his ears from the loudness of a mosque while having a terrified facial expression.

In fact, the image is supposed to clarify the problem of noise pollution. Unfortunately, the authors chose the religious symbol that believers of the Islam reacted very sensitive to. After the criticism and a petition of concerned social media users, the publisher assured to change the depiction in future editions. But finally, it is the school's responsibility of how to proceed since the education board does neither prescribe nor prohibit any particular textbooks.

Editorial staff (sz)

Sources

Image credit: India - Delhi Jama masjid by Jorge Royan / CC BY-SA 3.0
Information source: ndtv.com