Enseñanza de la Shoah en las escuelas británicas

Durante meses me llegan informaciones contradictorias sobre el Reino Unido y la enseñanza de la Shoá en sus escuelas. El artículo que desató la polémica apareció en "The Daily Mail". (podéis leerlo también a continuación)Los que trabajamos en la enseñanza sabemos lo difícil que es tratar ciertos temas en el aula. No es necesario que haya una prohibición o una presión explícita por parte de padres y de alumnos. 'Para evitarse problemas' algunos a veces prefieren la vía cómoda de no enfrentarse al desconocimiento o al odio.Parece razonable pensar que, del mismo modo que la prensa evita viñetas 'ofensivas' para el Islam y no lo hace cuando se trata de otras confesiones religiosas, quizá algunos profesores, sin que haya prohibición de por medio, decidan 'no buscarse problemas'.¿y cuál es el contexto que puede inducir a tomar ciertas decisiones poco honestas a la hora de desarrollar el currículo evitando temas como el Holocausto o las cruzadas?Por casualidad leí un número atrasado (enero-febrero de 2008, página 10-12) de "the new humanist". Allí se trata sobre el Consejo musulmán británico (MCB) y entre otros asunto se menciona el cese reciente del boicot que mantenían en relación al día de recordación del Holocausto y los actos públicos a los que declinaban su asistencia. El MCB parece haber sido interlocutor preferente del gobierno británico con la comunidad musulmana

( Victorino_web@yahoo.es)

Primero el artículo de la polémica

Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

By LAURA CLARK

Last updated at 11:58 02 April 2007


Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

There is also resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades - where Christians fought Muslim armies for control of Jerusalem - because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques.

The findings have prompted claims that some schools are using history 'as a vehicle for promoting political correctness'.

The study, funded by the Department for Education and Skills, looked into 'emotive and controversial' history teaching in primary and secondary schools.

It found some teachers are dropping courses covering the Holocaust at the earliest opportunity over fears Muslim pupils might express anti-Semitic and anti-Israel reactions in class.
The researchers gave the example of a secondary school in an unnamed northern city, which dropped the Holocaust as a subject for GCSE coursework.

The report said teachers feared confronting 'anti-Semitic sentiment and Holocaust denial among some Muslim pupils'.

It added: "In another department, the Holocaust was taught despite anti-Semitic sentiment among some pupils.

"But the same department deliberately avoided teaching the Crusades at Key Stage 3 (11- to 14-year-olds) because their balanced treatment of the topic would have challenged what was taught in some local mosques."

A third school found itself 'strongly challenged by some Christian parents for their treatment of the Arab-Israeli conflict-and the history of the state of Israel that did not accord with the teachings of their denomination'.

The report concluded: "In particular settings, teachers of history are unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."

But Chris McGovern, history education adviser to the former Tory government, said: "History is not a vehicle for promoting political correctness. Children must have access to knowledge of these controversial subjects, whether palatable or unpalatable."

The researchers also warned that a lack of subject knowledge among teachers - particularly at primary level - was leading to history being taught in a 'shallow way leading to routine and superficial learning'.

Lessons in difficult topics were too often 'bland, simplistic and unproblematic' and bored pupils.---------------------------------------------------



Y ésta era la crónica de the Guardian de 2007 en relación a la negativa del MCB

Senior Muslims tried to reverse Holocaust memorial day snub

Key figures desperate for council to change tack· Ban policy upheld by 23-14 in secret ballot

Vikram Dodd and Hugh Muir


Senior leaders within the Muslim Council of Britain tried to reverse the controversial decision to stay away from Holocaust memorial day, the Guardian has learned.

Key figures such as Sir Iqbal Sacranie were desperate for the organisation to change tack, arguing that the current stance was damaging the MCB's reputation among the government and public.

A secret meeting of the ruling committee saw more than a third of its senior figures vote to join Jewish leaders and those from other religions in the commemoration, which marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. But the policy was upheld by 23 votes to 14 in a secret ballot.

The MCB will be absent as dignitaries including the chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, and the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, attend the main Holocaust day commemoration in Newcastle tomorrow. The event has been delayed by 24 hours because the memorial day falls on the sabbath. Organisations such as the Islamic Foundation and the British Muslim Forum will be represented.

Sources, however, say the current momentum could see the MCB's position reversed by next year. In a letter to the organisers, the secretary general, Muhammad Abdul Bari, says: "This is not a boycott; we are simply staying away, hopefully, temporarily."

The MCB has stood back because it says the event should focus on all acts of "genocide". It wants a generic approach which would also highlight other issues, such as the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel. Organisers insist the focus is broad - tomorrow's event will also remember the victims of Darfur - but large elements within the MCB and some Muslim communities remain wary.

It is understood that Daud Abdullah, the deputy secretary general, and affiliate members from the Muslim Association of Britain joined forces to oppose the lifting of the ban at the meeting last November. They were aided by irritation at the way the government has sought to bring the MCB into line. Last October, Ms Kelly appeared to criticise the MCB and suggested that organisations that snubbed the holocaust event might be starved of funds.

The source said several people who might have voted to lift the boycott changed their minds because they feared a backlash in the British Muslim communities if they were perceived to be caving in to government pressure.

He said everyone recognised the horror of the Holocaust. But some also feel the memorial day helps apologists for the government of Israel. "It's as if the Holocaust explains why Israel does what it does in oppressing Palestinians and wreaking havoc in the Middle East on a daily basis," he said.

Another key figure said all agreed on the need for a "more inclusive" genocide event but disagreed on how that was to be achieved. He said of the boycott: "It hurts us more than we gain from it, and it gives critics a stick with which to beat us, every year. It is a self-inflicted wound. We have no allies on this one."

Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury, said the boycott must be lifted. "Whether they like it or not their current position looks like anti-semitism. I know there was a debate within the MCB. It is unfortunate that the old guard are stuck in a timewarp."

However, Massoud Shadjareh, chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said the boycott had grassroots support, adding: "If they had made any other decision they would have been wrong-footed. A poll in the Jewish Chronicle showed that 31% of people think there should be a genocide day. This is not an extremist view."

He said that without political interference the issue might have been solved: "We didn't have to be in this mess."

Stephen Smith, chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said the event has grown over seven years. Last year there were 3,200 requests for local activity packs. This year it was 5,300.

He said Muslim groups and individuals participated but the absence of the MCB mattered: "This is a national event. We want the nation to participate."

Fiyaz Mughal, of Muslims Against Anti Semitism and director of Faith Matters, will be part of tomorrow's service.
"On a day like this we must come together," he said. "If the MCB is in some way reflecting the grassroots then the grassroots need to be educated. What we need is real leadership."



El 3 de diciembre de 2007 el MBC decide participar en 2008.


Esta entrada está escrita y documentada por:

victorino_web@yahoo.es