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Secular kids’ book facing censorship

Ha’aretz reports that a children’s book published in Germany has been facing criticism for its alleged anti-Semitic content and anti-religious approach.Germany’s federal ministry for family affairs wants to ban How Do I Get to God? Asked the Piglet, which features a cover illustration of a hedgehog and a piglet. The German government and media have argued that the book depicts Christianity, Islam, and particularly Judaism in a degrading manner.

The book, which came out in October, describes what happens to the hedgehog and piglet, who one day discover a poster at the entrance to their house stating, “If you don’t know God, you’re missing something.” The two animals, who until then had not felt that anything was missing in their lives, begin searching for God. Along the way, they meet a rabbi, a priest and a mufti, who are depicted as violent and frightening figures.

The rabbi, who looks similar to the way Jews were portrayed in Nazi propaganda, threatens the two animals and tells them that God destroyed the world during the flood. The mufti turns out to be a hate-filled preacher, and the fat priest might seem to some like a potential child abuser.

“I think that God doesn’t exist at all,” the hedgehog concludes at the end of the book. “And if he does, then he certainly doesn’t live in a synagogue, a church or a mosque.”

The book’s publisher is protesting the German government’s move to potentially blacklist the book, which would make it illegal to sell or advertise the book to children. The federal department that reviews youth literature will meet in March to decide whether the book should be considered “dangerous” for children.

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