Illustrator ‘deeply upset’ after ‘racist’ book pulped
Islamophobia claim over Biff, Chip and Kipper title ridiculous for man married to a Muslim, friends say
THE illustrator of the Biff, Chip and Kipper series is “profoundly upset” over the pulping of his “Islamophobic” children’s book and has pointed out that he is married to a Muslim, friends have said.
Alex Brychta has regularly visited the Middle East and given readings of his books to hundreds of children in the region. Friends say he is deeply upset that The Blue Eye, which he co-produced with author Roderick Hunt, was pulled by Oxford University Press (OUP) after being deemed “Islamophobic”.
A close friend said: “This is all incredibly silly. Alex is profoundly upset that his work has been accused of being Islamophobic.
“He is married to a Muslim woman of Iraqi origin whose family now live in Jordan. He has visited that country and the Middle East on several occasions and his work is sensitive and empathetic to the region.
“Only a few years ago he gave readings of his books to hundreds of children at schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and they loved it.”
OUP has destroyed copies of The Blue Eye, in which the young characters are transported to a foreign land with the help of a magic key, after it commissioned an independent review of the Biff and Chip books following complaints about their content.
In the book the children find themselves in a busy street market, which appears to be somewhere in the Middle East, where the men wear white turbans and a woman is dressed in a niqab.
“Let’s stay together,” says Biff. “The people don’t seem very friendly here”.
Another character, Wilf, says: “I don’t like this place. It’s scary.”
The children see some men aggressively kicking down a door as they chase a young woman, who turns out to be a princess.
But Mr Brychta’s friends point out that by the end of the book the children make it safely to the princess’s kingdom, where people also wear turbans and the women wear hijabs, and where everyone is friendly and welcoming.
One said: “When Alex draws baddies, children want them to look like baddies.
“They want the tension of the adventure, of Biff and Chip trying to escape their predicament.
“It’s ridiculous to suggest that just because one set of baddies are of Middle Eastern appearance then the book is Islamophobic.
“If you’re drawing bad guys you draw guys who look bad – whether they are in England, Switzerland or anywhere else.
“And if they are Middle Eastern you draw them accordingly.
“That’s what Alex has done throughout his career.”
The friend added: “The Blue Eye is not racist. It’s an exciting adventure that sees the children all right in the end, helped by other people from the same imaginary Middle Eastern country.”
Mr Brychta was not prepared to comment when approached at his home.
OUP said: “We sincerely apologise for the offence this book has caused.”