A British school textbook that grossly attacks Hinduism and India has been removed from the school website and withdrawn by the publisher after the Hindu community in the UK raised objections. The school has apologized for letting students download the poorly researched book titled 'GCSE Religious Studies: Religion Peace and Conflict'.
The book that passed off for a textbook stated that Hindus turn to terrorism to defend their faith. In order to derive that conclusion, the poorly knit-together book set about interpreting the key sacred texts like the Bhagavat Gita.
Curiously, the book bears the logo of AQA, the examination board which sets and awards GSCES and A levels, IANS reported. The book was downloadable from the curriculum section of the website of Langley School, the report added. Langley School is a comprehensive secondary school in Solihull, West Midlands.
"If the cause is just, Hindus will take up arms. Self-defence is justifiable; hence India has nuclear weapons to protect from aggressors. Some Hindus have turned to terrorism to protect Hindu beliefs," the book stated.
"Holy books teach that it is necessary to be able to morally justify war in order to preserve dharma. Arjuna, as a Kshatriya, is reminded of his duty to uphold a righteous cause and that in fact there is nothing better than a righteous war," it added.
Mystery Appearance
Intriguingly, Langley School said it didn't know how the book made it to the school curriculum and website. It said it removed the text immediately after being alerted. The school said the book was purchased by a staff member of the school some years ago. "A member of our staff purchased the resource from the Times Educational Supplement website some years ago. We are unaware of the author of the document. We are devastated that this oversight in our administration has caused this offence," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the AQA said it didn't produce the book and it didn't know how its logo was on the book. "We didn't produce the workbook that's been shared on social media and our logo was used on it without our permission. Some of the material in it seems to have come from a textbook -- we've spoken to the publisher, which has withdrawn the book from sale while it addresses the issue," a spokesperson said.
The outraged Indian community in the UK said the use of the book as a textbook was a deliberate act to discredit Hinduism and India. "This is a political move to discredit Hindus and India. I am sure whoever wrote this did it deliberately," Trupti Patel, president of the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB), said.
