‘Three Little Pigs’ has turned the little pigs into little puppies. This is what Honley Church of England Junior School in Huddersfield has decided not to possibly offend Muslims.
It seems bizarre to do so unless the pigs are used to spread an offensive message about Muslims. Muslim children are familiar with different stories in which animals are the main characters. So it sounds meaningless to practices discrimination on an animal that is religiously viewed differently or to use it as a possible cause of rift between the Christians who cherish raising and eating it while Muslims consider doing so as a sin.
In Morocco, wild pigs (boars) aren’t consumed but they enjoy protection. Anyone unlawfully killing any of them is subject to punishment. They are, ironically, hunted during hunting season. There are pig toys for children as some child clothes are decorated with puppy pigs. This hasn’t become an issue here to forbid such commodities.
What is feared is that some Muslim extremists view all forms of art as a sin, especially music, singing and the paintings of human portrait. They may argue that children playing the role of animals is a big sin. Watching cartoons like Tom and Jerry will make children learn bad tricks and not grow to be morally straight.
As long as a play has a meaning and with an educative message, it doesn’t matter who or which are the main characters. What matters is how it is interpreted.
Politicising the term pig will make pigs laugh at those who can come to sharp disagreement about them. Children should be helped to use theatre to make sense of what is around them. They’re intelligent enough to sympathise with and love animals. Only adults, because of their ideological views, try to make them see some as the source of sin.
To follow the logic of changing the term “pigs” with “puppies”, some may argue that Hindu children shouldn’t see or play a role in ‘Three Little Pigs’, in which the wolf devours two little pigs, as eating any living creature is forbidden in this religion!
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