He's Terrified... School Threw Him Under Bus

Dad of teacher suspended in Islam cartoon row hits out

- Chris Riches

The father of the teacher in the Prophet Muhammad cartoon row says his son fears for his life at the hands of Islamic extremists and that his school threw him “under the bus”.

The unnamed tutor fears he may never return to his home town after receiving death threats.

His dad said yesterday: “My son keeps breaking down crying and says it’s all over for him.

“He is worried he and his family are going to be killed. He knows that he’s not going to be able to return to work or live in Batley. It’s just going to be too dangerous for him and his family.

Suspended

“Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing?”

The 29-year-old religious studies teacher showed an image of Muhammad to Year 9 pupils at Batley Grammar School, West Yorkshire.

The cartoon first appeared in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo where 12 people were killed by extremists in January 2015.

The “burly Yorkshire lad” is in hiding with his wife and children and fears he could meet the same fate as French teacher Samuel Paty, 47, who was beheaded last October after showing the images to his students.