Teachers' notes - part 2

In a recent lesson plan the BBC has decided to use Islam as a basis of 'education' and information on exclusion and bullying. By doing this the lesson plan sidesteps diversity issues within religious culture itself. And this year's Prix Jeunesse entry from Newsround did the same when it attempted to combat prejudice against Islam following 9/11. Their entry failed to win any prizes because the only legitimate way to combat bullying and prejudice against any group is to foster the values of inclusiveness, tolerance and diversity.

The lesson plan called Group blame after 11 September considers what it feels like to be a member of a group wrongly blamed for something you didn't do. But it does not look into the problems of religion itself which so often promotes "group blame" against "unbelievers". For example Islam has no place for lgbt people and Islam Expo in London, on the anniversary of 7/7, refused to allow any gay Muslim groups to participate this year.

Islam is not the only religion which sees gay people as an easy target. Ever since the destruction of Sodom, lgbt people have been blamed for many of the world's ills. Some Christian fundamentalists in America have even blamed the twin tower attack of 9/11 on homosexuality, and more recently homosexuality has been suggested as the cause of the tsunami in 2004.

So coming back to the theme of Teachers' Notes - teachers should ask kids to look carefully through the lesson index page to see if they can find anything specifically supporting lesbian, gay, bi, or trans people. Maybe they could save time by looking under more likely headings. What about trying to find information about homophobia or anti-gay discrimination.

Ask the class to consider why they have found nothing. Could the BBC be prejudiced? What can be done to make the BBC less prejudiced?

Always treat people as you would like to be treated yourself says Gavin Ramjaun, Newsround's latest presenter. Pupils should think carefully about what Gavin says and now consider what it would feel like to be a member of a group which is frowned upon, sometimes even hated. What if no one wanted to hear what you had to say, or worse, pretended that you didn't exist? Who would want to be treated like that?

Lesson Objectives

At the end of the lesson, students should feel empowered, on behalf of their fellow human beings, to tackle prejudice and discrimination. They should understand that discrimination will persist until people are prepared to stand up and be counted against unfair prejudice in all its forms.