While religious tensions continue to intensify in our secular country, an image of Class 5 textbook taught in ICSE schools portraying a “mosque” as a source of noise pollution had sparked outrage on social media. However, soon after the criticism, the publisher apologised and the promise that the picture would be removed in subsequent editions.
The science textbook, published by Selina Publishers, has a chapter on the causes of noise pollution. Strangely, a picture depicting the causes of noise pollution showed a train, car, plane and a mosque, next to a man grimacing and shutting his ears. Netizens have now launched an online petition demanding the book be withdrawn.
As per Hindustan Times report, the ICSE board officials were not available for comment. But the publisher has apologised for the image.
“This is to inform all concerned that we will be changing the picture in subsequent editions of the book,” publisher Hemant Gupta said on social media sites.
Gupta said the diagram on page 202 of its publication, Integrated Science, consisted of “a structure resembling a portion of a fort and other noise producing objects in a noisy city”.
“We do apologise if it has hurt the sentiments of anyone,” he said.
