Video: Pineapple named Mohammed causes row at university freshers’ fair

Students at a UK university have responded to claims that they "offended” the Muslim prophet Mohammed by naming a pineapple after him at a freshers’ fair. The students who placed the exhibit there say in a statement that it was to encourage discussion about blasphemy.

This didn’t stop them from being given the ultimatum: either the pineapple goes or you do.

They took the latter option, and quit the Freshers’ Fayre at the University of Reading.

One of the British papers that broke the story last week was the Daily Mail, which says: "The Reading University Atheist, Humanist and Secularist Society (RAHS) said they wanted to celebrate free speech and promote their upcoming debate ‘Should we respect religion?’”
Students’ Union staff said the exhibit was causing "upset and distress” to Muslim students. They were told to remove the pineapple.

"RAHS refused,” says the Mail, "citing that they had labelled the pineapple after the Islamic prophet to ‘encourage discussion about blasphemy, religion, and liberty’.”

However, the RAHS is defending its actions in a detailed statement on Facebook.

"We spent several hours talking to other students and visitors, promoting the society and encouraging people to attend our forthcoming discussion on the topic ‘Should we respect religion?’,” the statement says.

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