Thursday, August 31, 2006

Pinocchio and Friends Converted to Islam

From The Telegraph (U.K.):
Pinocchio, Tom Sawyer and other characters have been converted to Islam in new versions of 100 classic stories on the Turkish school curriculum.

"Give me some bread, for Allah's sake," Pinocchio says to Geppetto, his maker, in a book stamped with the crest of the ministry of education.

"Thanks be to Allah," the puppet says later.

In The Three Musketeers, D'Artagnan is told that he cannot visit Aramis. The reason would surprise the author, Alexandre Dumas.

An old woman explains: "He is surrounded by men of religion. He converted to Islam after his illness."

Tom Sawyer may always have shirked his homework, but he is more conscientious in learning his Islamic prayers. He is given a "special treat" for learning the Arabic words.

Pollyanna, seen by some as the embodiment of Christian forgiveness, says that she believes in the end of the world as predicted in the Koran.

Heidi, the Swiss orphan girl in the tale by Johanna Spyri, is told that praying to Allah will help her to relax.

Several more books have been altered, including La Fontaine's fables and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables.

The clumsy insertions by Islamic publishing houses have caused controversy in Turkey, which has been a strongly secular state since the 1920s.


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3 Comments:

At 8/31/2006 11:30 AM, Blogger Christine the Soccer Mom said...

Okay, we just watched Pollyana (which is a true story from what I understand), and that girl was the child of Christian missionaries!

But we shouldn't be too surprised, and we probably ought to watch for this to happen in America sometime in the future, too.

Are you ready for martyrdom?

 
At 8/31/2006 6:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a BOOK a bit like this at home, called Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times. It's a very amusing read, even if it does get a bit repetitive.

But this thing isn't trying to be funny; it's serious. And that's scary.

 
At 8/31/2006 8:38 PM, Blogger Fr Martin Fox said...

Maybe I shouldn't care, but . . .

this *ticks* me off!

 

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