A school has been blasted for showing pupils a picture of Osama Bin Laden and telling them it was the Prophet Muhammad.
A Powerpoint presentation given during a Religious Studies lesson at All Saints Academy in Dunstable showed a picture of Osama Bin Laden with the words written next to it: "Muhammad. Last Prophet in Islam."
The Church of England school has since said they are “investigating” the incident after a photo of the presentation was shared on social media, Bedfordshire Live reports.
Not only is the image completely incorrect, but drawings and pictures of the Prophet Muhammad are deeply offensive to Muslims.
The incident has been met with outrage in the local Muslim community, who called on the school to properly explain how it could have happened.
On the school website headteacher Elizabeth Furber says she aims to “create an environment that encourages every member of our community to live well together.”
One shocked person said: “Imagine how children are learning? Their minds are sponges that soak up what they’re taught!
“All the teacher had to do was a description of Muhammad (pbuh) There are no pictures of him, only description!"
They added: “If a qualified teacher is going to teach R.E then they should be well informed and educated at degree level to teach this subject properly.
“How can a R.E teacher put a photo of Osamin Bin Laden & say that’s prophet Muhammad (pbhu)? @asadunstable Unacceptable!”
The school, which teaches children aged 11-18, has since released a lengthy statement apologising and saying the teacher concerned has been suspended while the incident is investigated.
In a statement, they said: "We are fully aware of a totally inappropriate resource that was used by a teacher during an RS lesson.
"All Saints Academy recognises the deep hurt and distress that has been caused to the Muslim community, and many other people of faith, by the totally inappropriate images that were used as part of a recent RS lesson.
“Not only was it offensive to attempt to portray an image of the prophet Muhammad, but the image that was used was that of Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist leader, which further added to the deep insult.
"The academy reiterates its unreserved and sincere apology for the distress this episode has caused. In terms of actions taken, we are happy to share the following information.
"Upon learning about this incident from a concerned student, the member of staff was immediately suspended by the principal pending a detailed and swift investigation which will follow the academy’s disciplinary procedures.
“It would be against the terms of that procedure either to identify the individual concerned or to comment any further until the final outcome is determined.
"Apart from investigating the actual incident, we will also commission a wider review of the circumstances surrounding the case to determine how this individual came to act in such an inappropriate and upsetting way. For purposes of transparency, this review will be conducted by an external person who has no connection with the academy.
"Finally, having now established very useful links with members of the Muslim community in Luton, we would hope to work together to gain a better understanding of religious and cultural matters that impact on all our lives and will help us to be better educators."
The Church of England school in Central Bedfordshire is sponsored by the Diocese of St Albans.
It was given a "requires improvement" ranking during its most recent listed Ofsted inspection in May 2019, according to the schools watchdog website.
An Ofsted monitoring visit in July 2021 found “Leaders and those responsible for governance are not taking effective action in order for the school to become a good school.”
