This post originally appeared on news.com.au and is republished here with permission.
The producers of one of the most popular children’s cartoons on earth, Fireman Sam, have been forced to pull an episode showing a character tripping over Islam’s holiest book.
HIT Entertainment has issued a grovelling apology last night after eagle-eyed viewers spotted the unbelievable slur, which aired on June 28.
It has been brought to our attention that in an episode of Fireman Sam (Series 9, Episode 7), an image of (cont) https://t.co/Ssva4VPsRu
— Fireman Sam (@FiremanSamUK) July 26, 2016
The company, which also produces kids favourites Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder, said it was cancelling its contract with the Chinese animation studio responsible for creating the scenes.
In the offending episode, a character is seen tripping over and trampling on pages from the Koran that are being sorted out on the floor of a fire station, The Telegraph reported.
Biggest story on Muslim twitter today is a vid (purportedly) showing a character in Fireman Sam stepping on Quran https://t.co/ALMW3qBb7z
— Hussein Kesvani (@HKesvani) July 26, 2016
When the papers fly into the air, one sheet, which was supposed to have shown illegible text, clearly depicts verses from the holy book.
A viewer spotted the scenes and took to social media, sparking widespread condemnation.
Assistant Secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Miqdaad Versi, identified one page as containing verses 13 to 26 of chapter 67 of the Koran.
The verses deal with the origins of existence and the punishments meted out to non-Muslims.
“(I) have no idea what went through the producers’ minds when they thought this was a good idea,” Mr Versi tweeted.
One of the memes going round shows Fireman Sam giving the thumbs up as a mosque burns behind him. Source: Twitter.
Overnight, HIT Entertainment apologised for the hidden Islamophobic symbolism, claiming it had no idea it was there.
“It has been brought to our attention that in an episode of Fireman Sam an image of the Koran is briefly depicted,” the statement said.
The page was intended to show illegible text and we deeply regret this error. We sincerely apologise for any distress or offence it may have caused.
“We will no longer be working with the animation studio responsible for this mistake. In addition, we are taking immediate action to remove this episode from circulation and we are reviewing our content production procedures to ensure this never happens again.”
The reaction has been a mixture of outrage and indifference, with plenty of memes thrown in.
Bizarrely, it’s not the first time the cartoon has been linked to anti-Muslim sentiment.
In 2012, Fireman Sam co-creator David Jones was briefly detained at London’s Gatwick Airport after making a comment about a Muslim woman who was wearing a veil.
