School removes student’s artwork of a mother breastfeeding her baby – in case it offends Muslims during Ramadan

The endless accommodation, endless appeasement — where do British authorities think it will all end up? Where do they think Britain will be in ten years, after they have again and again and again reinforced the principle that infidels must always change their behaviors in order to respect Islamic customs and mores, but Muslims must never make any accommodation of infidel customs and mores? The UK is on the road to ruin, and it is coming quickly.

The paintings show a mother cradling her baby, another breastfeeding from front-on, another breastfeeding from the side (pictured), and another shows a mother holding her child to her naked breast

“School removes student’s artwork of a mother breastfeeding her baby – in case it offends Muslims during Ramadan,” by Keiligh Baker, MailOnline, July 3, 2015 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

A school has been slammed by a sixth form pupil for removing her paintings of a mother breastfeeding her child – because it could offend Muslims during Ramadan.

Tapton Secondary School in Sheffield told Martha Armitage, 18, that her A-level paintings would not be displayed with other pupils’ artwork because the space is currently being used as a prayer room for the duration of the religious period.

Tapton Secondary School in Sheffield told A-level student Martha Armitage, 18, (pictured) that her A-level work would not be displayed because the room is currently being used as a prayer room during Ramadan

A-level art student Martha Armitage believes her intimate paintings of breastfeeding are being ‘censored’

Miss Armitage claims she was not informed by the school of the decision not display her paintings with other students’ work, but instead noticed they were not on display when she went to the school to collect something

Now Miss Armitage has hit out at the decision because she believes she is being ‘censored’ and says she is proud of her four paintings, which took 15 hours to create, and wants them to be displayed.
Tapton Secondary School in Sheffield told A-level student Martha Armitage, 18, (pictured) that her A-level paintings would not be displayed with other pupils’ artwork because the space is currently being used as a prayer room for the duration of the religious period.
But the school has defended the decision, saying it was a matter of ‘tolerance and respect’ to not put them on show in the prayer room and claimed that the pictures are on display – but in a different section of the school.

Miss Armitage, who works part-time in a cafe, chose the subject of Mother and Baby after being given four choices for her A-level finals.

Her sister-in-law, Kim Houton, 20, who recently gave birth to her second child, Ivy, was the subject of the art works and posed topless for the intimate shots while breastfeeding her baby.

Miss Armitage then took the photographs into the exam room and produced the paintings over five three-hour exam sessions.

The four paintings show a mother cradling her baby, another breastfeeding from front-on, another breastfeeding from the side, and another shows a mother holding her child to her naked breast – something that is crucial in the first months of baby bonding.

Miss Armitage, who works part-time in a cafe, chose the subject of Mother and Baby after being given four choices for her A-level finals

But Miss Armitage claims she was not informed by the school of the decision not display her paintings with other students’ work and only found out when she noticed they were not on display when she went to the school to collect her prom tickets.

She said: ‘I went to speak to the art technician because I wanted to see my artwork, I hadn’t seen it since I’d submitted it for my A-level.

‘The technician told me the artwork wasn’t going on display at all because it includes breasts and it’s Ramadan.

‘I was just really really shocked. I didn’t know what to say. I left the school and when I went home I told my mum about it, she sent an email to the school.

‘In their reply, they spoke about not having the artwork on display in the conference room which was going to be used as a prayer room.

‘But I was told by the technician that my artwork wasn’t going to be displayed anywhere.

‘In any case, I don’t understand why it’s offensive. Muslim pupils at my school have told me they’re not offended by it. I don’t understand why the school were jumping to conclusions – they’re just being overly sensitive.’

Miss Armitage’s mother Mandy, 44, a theatre nurse, sent an email to the school complaining about the decision and received a reply from the Art and Design subject leader.

It read: ‘Martha was not told that her work was not being displayed. She was told that her work was no longer in the conference room because the room is, during Ramadan, being used as a prayer room; this does not display (in my view) censorship, but rather respect and tolerance.’

But Miss Armitage does not agree.

The student, who turned 18 last week, said: ‘As usual breastfeeding is being depicted in a sexual way. Why are people thinking it is sexual?

‘My school should see my paintings as normalising breastfeeding. The more it is seen then the more acceptable it will be.

‘I was breastfed as a child, as were my three brothers, and I don’t see anything wrong with it.

‘It was only a couple of years ago, when my brother and sister-in-law had their first child, that I realised there seemed to be a lot of fuss about it.

‘In my family breastfeeding is normal, I’m flabbergasted people disagree.

‘The school think it’s respecting the tolerance of Muslims during Ramadan because my pictures show nipples, but if I showed a baby being fed by bottle it would be fine, they are promoting the wrong thing.

‘They are censoring my work because it involves a bit of nudity. Why are they looking at the painting for the nipple? And not the concept of a mother bonding with her baby?’

A statement from Claire Tasker and David Dennis, joint heads at Tapton School, said: ‘Martha’s work is beautiful and she is rightly proud of it.

‘We have 45 students studying post-16 Art. This amounts to a huge number of finished pieces that we display all over the school.

‘We do not limit subject matter choice or censor finished pieces. We do not have the space to display all pieces at all times.

‘Pieces by five students are currently displayed in our small Conference Room (located on the administration corridor in school). The room is used for meetings, as an exam space and also as a prayer room at lunchtimes.

Miss Armitage has hit out at the decision because she believes she is being censored and said she is proud of her four finished paintings (pictured) which took 15 hours to create, and wants them to be displayed

‘We made the decision (as it was during Ramadan) to not put the images of breast feeding into this room.

‘The pieces are actually on display in the Finance Office which is frequented by far more staff and students on a daily basis.

‘Before that they were on display in our Art rooms and admired by all. We have invited Martha to come into school to discuss her concerns – this is always the better way forward.’ …