Oxford Press Bans Pigs and Pork References
Image by thinkstock
Oxford University Press has banned references to pigs and pork in its publications in order to avoid offending Jews and Muslims.
“Many of the educational materials we publish in the UK are sold in more than 150 countries, and as such they need to consider a range of cultural differences and sensitivities,” a spokesman for Oxford, the largest university press in the world, told the British media.
Eating pork is forbidden in both Islam and Judaism.
The policy came to light this week on the show “Today” on the BBC’s Radio 4 station in the wake of the Islamist extremist attacks on Paris. The show read a letter on the air sent by the Oxford University Press to an author asking her not to mention pigs or pork products in her book.
Representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities told the British media that the ban was unnecessary.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
