A Limerick mother has expressed her outrage at her son’s school following the use of the controversial Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine as part of a lesson. The 11-year-old fifth class pupil, who is being raised a Muslim, expressed his unhappiness at the use of the ‘survivors’ issue’ of the magazine, which contains cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The boy’s mother said her son had been ‘subjected’ to the offensive image. She has so far chosen to remain anonymous.
The head of the Limerick Project School, which is non-denominational, Richard Allen, apologised for the upset caused but said the magazine was originally brought into the school by another pupil. He also said that the magazine and its contents were not discussed in class. It also appears there were other Muslim pupils in the class who did not object to the magazine.
The massacre of Charlie Hebdo writers in Paris led to a widespread debate about freedom of speech and depictions of the Muslim prophet. Many copies of the magazine have since been sold in Ireland, including in Limerick.