SHAFAQNA – Reports that Australian imams are pushing for religious alternatives to Peppa Pig, the insanely popular children’s cartoon, have been flatly dismissed as “misleading” by the people involved
Peppa Pig started trending on Twitter [1] this morning after news media reported that a group of imams considered it a corrupting a influence for Muslim children.
According to these reports, the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) encouraged parents to raise funds for Barakah Hills, a “halal cartoon series” set in a predominantly Muslim town and produced by One4Kids [2], which makes children’s shows with Islamic themes.
“As we know Muslims are averaging much higher birthrates, plus increased amount of time children are watching various videos on devices, computers, and television,” the fundraising page reads [3].
The head of the council, Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman, posted a video on YouTube [4] urging people to support the One4Kids a “trusted alternative” to current cartoons on TV:
“These days, in this modern age, our children have been embedded and very well occupied watching different cartoons on TV and it’s our responsibility not to stop them from watching but give them another alternative,” he said.
He made no mention of Peppa Pig in the video.
However, headlines all over the world focused on the “Muslim alternative to Peppa Pig” aspect:
BBC [5]:
The Australian [6]:
News.com.au [7]:
The Daily Mail [8]:
Which naturally caused a huge backlash on Twitter, with prominent figures from the right and the alt-right expressing their indignation at the alleged ban:
Follow [10]
Pamela Geller [10]
✔@PamelaGeller [10]
Islamic Religious leaders demand ban on TV’s beloved Peppa Pig http://dlvr.it/MqtfXY [11]
166166 Retweets [13]
130130 likes [14]
Follow [15]
Tommy Robinson [15]
✔@TRobinsonNewEra [15]
Priorities are in order for Muslim leaders I see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38218118 … [16]
Religious leaders push for Muslim alternative to Peppa Pig – BBC News
Islamic leaders in Australia back a campaign to produce a “halal cartoon” alternative to Peppa Pig.
bbc.co.uk
7777 Retweets [18]
111111 likes [19]
Follow [20]
Years ago I joked to missus “Peppa Pig will get banned one day”
Today, that joke is a step nearer reality >
http://dailym.ai/2gTPx9h [21]Islamic leaders encourage Muslim alternative to Peppa Pig
Islamic leaders have encouraged Australian parents to embrace Barakah Hills- a Muslim alternative to popular British television show Peppa Pig.
dailymail.co.uk
9090 Retweets [23]
7070 likes [24]
Follow [25]
Muslims are now outraged by Peppa Pig, muslims really will never be part of Western society http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/741128/peppa-pig-muslims-leaders-barakah-hills-sheikh-shady-alsuleiman-subhi-alshaik-islam-values … [26]
Muslim leaders tell children to turn off Peppa Pig for ‘Islamic promoting’ alternative
MUSLIM leaders have urged parents to ditch the popular British television show Peppa Pig in favour of an Islamic alternative.
express.co.uk
468468 Retweets [28]
417417 likes [29]
Follow [30]
Paul Joseph Watson [30]
✔@PrisonPlanet [30]
They can’t even tolerate a cartoon pig. Let that sink in. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38218118 … [31]
Religious leaders push for Muslim alternative to Peppa Pig – BBC News
Islamic leaders in Australia back a campaign to produce a “halal cartoon” alternative to Peppa Pig.
bbc.com
1,4081,408 Retweets [33]
1,9841,984 likes [34]
Following the online furore, Alsuleiman released a statement on Facebook [35]saying that he as shocked to learn from media sources today that he had called the British cartoon Peppa Pig a corrupting influence:
“Today is the first time I came to know of the program,” said the Sheikh.
“This ridiculous media frenzy about the Peppa Pig cartoon is based firstly on a misleading headline and secondly on an insatiable appetite by some media outlets to misrepresent and embellish the reality for sensationalist propaganda purposes. It seems that the silly season is in full force,” he said.
Referring to The Australian [6] headline “Peppa Pig a corrupting influence for Muslim children, say leaders,” he commented:
“The headline incorrectly implies that Sheikh Alsuleiman made the disparaging remarks about the cartoon. In fact, the body of the news report correctly quotes him endorsing the concept of producing religious alternatives while stating clearly that children should not be stopped from watching different cartoons.”
As noted by Buzzfeed [36], the whole Peppa Pig link may come from a Facebook post shared last month on the page of Zaky & Friends, another cartoon series from One4Kids.
Subhi Alshaik, a director and producer with One4Kids, also quoted in The Australian, reacted to the media frenzy around Peppa Pig saying the article “does not reflect the interview” he did with the journalist at all.