Jean-Pierre Martin and Laurence D’Hondt publish a book entitled “Allah has nothing to do in my class”, a work which gives teachers a voice on the place that Islamism can occupy in their school. Due to threats, Fnac in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert decided to cancel a meeting with the authors around the book.
In reaction to the cancellation of the meeting at Fnac, Jean-Pierre Martin, co-author of the book, said he was saddened by the decision, but considered it justified: “A Saturday with children, a day when Saint Nicholas was supposed to be there, we couldn’t take any risks.” The author did not receive any personal threats, the events took place at the Fnac in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, where young people challenged the employees, demanding the cancellation of the meeting.
Jean-Pierre Martin regrets not having been able to meet these young people: “I would have liked to discuss with them to explain to them that my book is benevolent and that it is not a work against a religion.”
The hope of debate
To write this book, the authors met around sixty professors and conducted long interviews on the place that religious fundamentalism may have taken in their daily professional lives. In recent days, many professors have contacted the authors to encourage them in their approach.
“The school is a target of this kind of movement”Jean-Pierre Martin tells us. The book was originally intended for teachers, but given its resonance, the authors hope it will serve as a basis for broader debate. “I now hope that the book will touch society and politicians and that it will provoke a reaction”shares Jean-Pierre Martin.
“Allah has nothing to do in my class” is the title of the work, which has a double origin. This is a phrase said in the film on radicalization in schools directed by Jawad Rhalib, “Amal – A Free Spirit”. This film inspired and encouraged the authors in their approach. But it’s also a phrase that the authors heard during their interviews with professors: “Four teachers, who had never met and who had never consulted, told us this same sentence. It hit us”says Jean-Pierre Martin.
Anonymous testimonies
All the teachers interviewed for the book asked that their testimony be anonymized. Several testimonies were not published in the book and served as a basis for reflection for the authors.
Half of the teachers met by Laurence D’Hondt and Jean-Pierre Martin are of the Muslim faith. This point was extremely important to the authors. “There is no major difference between the testimonies of Muslim teachers and those who are not, the concerns are the same”explains the author.
The authors are organizing an upcoming meeting at the Filigranes bookstore. Jean-Pierre Martin is delighted to be able to meet readers and discuss his book, including with people who have reservations about it: “I hope to meet and debate with people about my book.” The author adds: “We must not let the extremes, especially the extreme right, take over this issue. This is a deeply democratic question.” Jean-Pierre Martin also thinks that every Belgian citizen must be able to emancipate themselves from the weight of communitarianism.
