It is, perhaps, one of the most seminal works in all of European Literature. In it’s day, it was so popular, that the Italian Dialect used in its writing is to this day is what students learn as Italian in our schools. It is a staple of lit programs everywhere.

It is Dante’s Divine Comedy.

However, it seems some people (the UN and some Italians I think) want it pulled out of Italian schools. Because it is “Racist, Homophobic, Anti-Islam, etc.” Thankfully not everyone shares this sentiment, but still.

During his adventure, Pilgrim encounters some of history’s most important protagonists, many described in unflattering circumstances Dante tells of the Prophet Muhammad with his guts pouring from his body. Judus Iscariot, a symbol of Jewish collective guilt for Jesus Christ’s death, is frozen in ice like all other traitors in the Ninth Circle of Hell.

Even the Sodomites are condemned for acts “against nature” and punished in Hell and Purgatory,” said Sereni, who insists she’s not advocating book burning or censorship.

“We want to expunge the Divine Comedy from the Ministry of Educations’ scholastic curriculum, or at least require the necessary commentary to shed light on the text,” she said.

Oh my, so, so terrible. It has to be silenced and buried, or at least taught with the “necessary commentary.” One can only imagine what the “necessary commentary” would be for an ancient book in our modern era. I don’t know if its because they think students are too stupid to analyze the work for themselves (actually, that’s probably true) or if they can’t pass up an opportunity to rip apart classic European Lit (something tells me if it was an Islamic classic, they wouldn’t be adding much, if any, in the way of commentary regardless of how racist/homophobic/etc it was).

Look, I give the Christians a hard time. I’m a Heathen, and “evil,” and probably a couple other things. But I though the Divine comedy was interesting. Well, at least the Inferno was, because that’s what we went over in my Lit classes. Purgatory and Heaven weren’t really touched on (I swear Christians are obsessed with damnation). We even did a “9 levels of hell” project for one, though I can’t recall what it was about.

Or if we had the special place in hell added for child molesters and those who talk in the theater.

Who really cares if a 14th century dude writting his opus of revenge shoved Judas, the Pope, and Mohammed into hell. Well, okay, the Muslims care, because apparently Mohammed is the “perfect man” (that is literally a belief of Muslims, and when you learn some of the stuff he did….well…we have different ideas of perfect). Still, it’s a work of fiction, I say get over it. And if you can, you go hide in a hole and leave the rest of us to enjoy our books.