Children’s global TV sensation Peppa Pig has been used by pranksters for an elaborate ‘haram pig’ hoax which apparently took in the Muslim Council of Britain. The jokers created a hate-filled Facebook group and petition calling on authorities to ban the show over accusations that the central character is Haram (meaning unclean) and therefore not suitable for Muslim youth.
The Facebook group ‘Muslims Against Peppa Pig’ appears to have enjoyed steady growth over the past fortnight, reaching 3,500 likes by yesterday evening. When news about the bizarre rants posted on the page began to spread, interest from Peppa Pig supporters spiked and the page was flooded with posts from users opposed to the ban.
The page and accompanying Facebook video upload of the page owner decrying his son’s interest in pigs were deleted over the course of last night, as the joker founder became concerned about arguments between Muslims and non-Muslims alike were taking a nasty turn.
Although the page is now gone, internet mirrors allow a glimpse of the page as it was just before deletion last night. The ‘about’ section, which sets out the groups aims and intention reads: “Pigs are haram and an insult to the Islamic religion and should be boycotted as soon as possible”.
The page itself has weeks’ worth of posts made by the administrator, with a captioned image comparing women who refuse to wear the Hijab (a religious head covering) to food covered in flies, posts referring to Peppa Pig as ‘Haram Pig’ and bizarre quotes by a Jihad parody twitter including “PMSL you brits must really love islam. You’re blaming the police, council & Gov for Muslim rape gangs instead of Islam, thanks ;-)”. Affiliated pages include ‘Islam in England’ and ‘Allah is the ruler of the universe’.
The group has spawned a number of imitations and parodies in its stead. At the time of reading there were eighteen opposing ‘Peppa Pig Against Muslims’ groups, and two apparently serious ‘Muslims Against Peppa Pig’ groups, one of which has attracted 500 followers.
The Muslim Council of Great Britain clearly didn’t get the joke, as they released a serious statement distancing themselves from the page, saying: “The majority of mainstream Muslims would not find Peppa Pig offensive, and anecdotally we know of many Muslim children who watch the show for its entertainment value. Those who do have issues with this can simply refrain from watching the show and purchasing Peppa Pig memorabilia”.
Revealing the hoax, the British Muslim comedian who identified himself as Zayn Sheikh said in a new video “At the end of the day whatever is going on in the rest of the world is not to do with us regular Muslims in the UK because we are just like any other people. We are normal people. We are just trying to get by… The video was meant as a joke and if you cannot realise its satirical it’s not a concern of mine.”
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