I thought things like this only happened in America. Several Australian Christian primary schools have banned Harry Potter, for allegedly promoting witchcraft and devil worship. The head of Australian Christian Schools Ltd., Rev. Robert Frisken, was quoted as stating that the books "invert morality".
The Sydney Morning Herald reports "Reverend Frisken suggested that the books, which concentrate on magic, carry warning stickers before they are placed in school libraries."
This has led to an onslaught from defenders of the books, the best of which hails from the letters page of the MX, a trashy free tabloid. One woman referred to the Harry Potter books as "great literature". Wait a minute. Let's not go overboard here. Now, don't get me wrong, I read the first book, I like it, it's fun to read. It's well written, it has an interesting story and well-fleshed out characters. I plan on reading the others. I like this book. But "great literature"? Goodbye Shakespeare, you are needed no longer. Sod off Voltaire, you're old hat. We have J.K. Rowling.
It's very amusing to see so much fuss over such a non-issue. Banning the books is a laughably fascist practice, but on the other hand I can think of lots of things far more important than this that could do with some concentration.