Father Christmas banned at children's centre after Muslim family complained

Published 03rd Jan 2011

Father Christmas has been banned from visiting a children's nursery after a Muslim family complained.

For the last four years, Dennis Jackson has donned a beard and red-and-white costume to hand out presents at the St Peter's Head Start Programme in Minnesota.

But this year he was told he wasn't welcome after objections from a Somali family.

'It kind of burnt me up,' Mr Jackson said, after being banned by officials at the Head Start Programme.

They had told him 'it was against some people’s wishes' for him to make the half-hour appearances for two classes, for about three dozen children all aged three and four.

According to the regional coordinator for the Minnesota Valley Action Council, Chris Marben, at least one Muslim family complained of his visit.

When asked about banishing Father Christmas, Mrs Marben said: 'We have Somali families in the programme. We're respecting the wishes of families in the program.'

She added: ‘Part of our challenge in Head Start is providing an environment where young children from many different cultures can all feel comfortable.'

Mrs Marden didn’t say how many objections were made, but said that program parents are surveyed annually to gauge their feelings toward holiday observances in classes.

She indicated that more than one objection would be sufficient to waive an observance.

Mr Jackson said he has played Father Christmas with children from other cultures before and they were fully comfortable with him - it’s just, in his opinion, some parents who are being unreasonable.

'They’re not respecting the majority,' he said. 'My feeling is [objecting parents] can take their kids out of class for half an hour and let the other kids enjoy it. They should sacrifice, not rule.'

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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