Backlash after schoolbook publishers issue specific request to authors

In a bid to take foreign cultures into account and ensure their texts can be exported overseas, Oxford University Press have issued a very specific request to the writers of their schoolbooks.

The publishers have suggested that authors refrain from portraying the consumption of pork or bacon, a food which is strictly forbidden in Muslim countries.

Commenting on the importance of the issue, a spokesperson for Oxford University Press said: "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 sensitivites."

The suggested guidelines have come under fire, however, with Conservative MP Philip Davies blasting the proposal by saying: "The political correctness brigade appear to have taken control of our schools."

Defending the request, Oxford University Press said: "Our editorial guidelines are intended to help ensure that the resources that we produce can be disseminated to the widest possible audience."