‘Gifts’ handed to Northwood boys ‘deeply offensive’
A Durban North school says they did not give permission for a Muslim group to distribute material to pupils.
NORTHWOOD School, which is at the centre of an incident in which inflammatory controversial religious material was distributed to its learners, this morning issued a statement on the matter.
The school’s chairman of the governing body, Grant Smith, said the pamphlet and DVD that was circulated to some of the boys was ‘inflammatory and racist propaganda material of a religious nature’.
The incident happened on Wednesday and, according to Smith, was done without their prior knowledge. Smith said so far, their investigation into the incident revealed that the visitors were given permission to address members of the Muslim Students’ Association during the break.
“Thereafter, without permission, the visitors distributed a number of wrapped ‘gifts’ that were subsequently found to contain propaganda material that is deeply offensive,” he said. Smith said they had acted swiftly to establish the exact circumstances which led to the distribution of the material, adding that the actions were not authorised or condoned by the school.
“The school emphasises that it will not tolerate any attempt to indoctrinate or expose our learners to any messages or material, by subterfuge or otherwise, that could potentially offend the religious beliefs of learners and parents or incite hatred or disrespect towards any individuals or groups within our diverse society.”
