Trevor Phillips calls for nativity plays in all primary schools
by Daniel Blake
Posted: Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 8:55 (GMT)
Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights has said that all primary schools should hold a nativity play whatever the religion of the students.
His comments come after a poll by the Sunday Telegraph suggested that only one in five primary schools would be holding a nativity play this Christmas.
A separate poll by think tank Theos revealed that just over a quarter of people, and 36 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds, did not know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Phillips, speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Monday, said that schools should not shy away from the story of Christmas.
He told the BBC that Christmas was a "very important fundamental, national celebration".
"It's time to stop being daft about Christmas. It's fine to celebrate and it's fine for Christ to be star of the show," said Phillips. "Let's stop being silly about a Christian Christmas."
Phillips said that he was concerned about schools not holding nativity plays because students may not be Christian or because they were of a different faith.
"Schools which are deliberately shying away from the true story of Christmas are just plain wrong," he told the BBC.
"What they should do is make sure that all of their children have access to this very important fundamental, national celebration and tradition.
"Otherwise they're robbing their children of really being part of what it is to be British."
Representatives of other faith groups have given their full support to the celebration of a Christian Christmas and made clear that it does not offend them.
"Hindus celebrate Christmas too. It's a great holiday for everyone living in Britain," said Anil Bhanot, general secretary of the UK Hindu Council.
Sikh spokesman Indarjit Singh said: "Every year I am asked 'Do I object to the celebration of Christmas?' It's an absurd question. As ever, my family and I will send out our Christmas cards to our Christian friends and others."
British Muslim leaders, voiced similar sentiments, not long after they publically condemned Sudan for jailing British teacher Gillian Gibbons for letting her pupils name a teddy bear Mohammad.
Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Shayk Ibrahim Mogra said: "To suggest celebrating Christmas and having decorations offends Muslims is absurd. Why can't we have more nativity scenes in Britain?"
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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Saturday, December 29, 2007, 13:59 (GMT)
It is a surprise Trevor Phillips keeps avoiding mentioning the groundbreaking research which caused his rapid U turn on this subject !
It seems he wanted to blunt a more general counter-revolution to political correctness in the workplace...driven by minorities who are fed up with political correctness as well.
apnalounge.com
Survey of Asians says they enjoy Christmas
Dec 20 2007
By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/christmas/news/tm_headline=survey-of-midlands-asians-says-they-enjoy-christmas&method=full&objectid=20272431&siteid=50002-name_page.html
ASIANS love Christmas and that's official!
A survey has been carried out across the West Midlands in response to the claims that people from Asian communities are offended by Christmas festivities such as nativity plays and carol singing.
The questionnaire, carried out by Apnalounge.com, a social website for Asians, found that 62 per cent of respondents look forward to Christmas.
At the same time, 87 per cent said they would be very angry if Christmas was "banned" and Asians were blamed.
Indi Singh, of Apnalounge, said: "We did our own survey to destroy the myth that Asian people are against Christmas. We found absolutely no evidence of Asian religious minorities being offended by Christmas as a religious and social festival, carol services, nativity plays nor traditional British religious worship.
"A minority of Asians in the UK are indifferent but not offended by Christmas.
"There is resentment as people believe Asians are to blame for nativity plays being banned. It's not us but we are still being framed for a crime we did not commit."
Apnalounge is to present a petition to the Queen on January 3 calling for a law making it criminal libel to repeat the myth that Asians are offended by Christmas.
Indi added: "We want a law guaranteeing nativity plays, carol services, traditional Christmas religious worship and festivity.
"We need to stop this resentment and get the message out. That is why we are getting Asian girls and other models to wear T-shirts saying "Asians love Christmas".
"We are urging all Asians to be seen to be not offended by Christmas."
The T-shirts were modelled at the recent Clothes Show Live at the NEC.
Among respondents, sisters Jas, Anita and Jo from Handsworth said: "We are all Christians and worship in a Punjabi Christian Church.
"We are doubly offended when Asians are scapegoated for banning Christian education and worship."
The survey involved 512 Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Christians in Birmingham and the Black Country, as well as London and Leicester, between November 3 and December 3.
Jonathan Stuart-Brown, Walsall, West Midlands
Added: Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 13:56 (GMT)
i would just like discuss the point that a large portion of the british public do not know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. I would like to think that this is becausethey are intelligetn enough to have read the ible and from this text (that you undoudbly support) puts His birth in Nazuruth (Matthew and Mark) and not in Bethlehem. please if you are going to make statments to the public ensure that they are correct
barny luxmoore, leamington spa england
