Pakistani school drops plans to sing John Lennon's Imagine after accusations it encourages atheism

A school in Pakistan cancelled a plan for students to sing ‘Imagine’, the world-famous 1971 ode to peace by John Lennon, after complaints that the song encourages atheism.

Pupils at the Karachi Grammar School (KGS), a liberally-inclined private institution with 2,400 places, were on Friday night due to sing the anthem at an in-house concert, upholding a tradition that stretches back decades. 

But administrators decided it would no longer be safe after a popular conservative journalist highlighted ‘controversial lyrics’ in the song, hinting that they might fall foul of Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws.

“Students will sing John Lennon’s lyrics - no heaven, no hell, no religion too,” tweeted Ansar Abbasi, who has 500,000 followers, on Wednesday.

The provincial government of Sindh “must intervene,” he added, in remarks that were seized upon by conservative anchors on local television.

Although Mr Abbasi did not specify the school, talk shows later openly discussed both its identity and the specific campus at which the concert was due to be held.

TV hosts also discussed the school's new Principal, Dr C. E. Wall, a British citizen educated at Appleby Grammar School, claiming he was introducing secular values to KGS, whose alma matter includes the assassinated  former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Neither Dr Wall nor a spokesperson for the school could be reached for comment. 

The school, which is heavily-guarded, subsequently dropped the song from its concert.

Former student Daanika Kamal told the Telegraph that Mr Abbasi was ignoring the message of ‘Imagine’, which invites listeners to picture a “brotherhood of man”, and “inciting hate”.

“We were introduced to [‘Imagine’] by the school” she said, “it was always a song of peace, that’s why it resonated with us. When you live in a country like Pakistan and are constantly hearing about attacks it is really soothing to hear a song that unites us.”

The reaction on Twitter to Mr Abbasi’s campaign was mostly negative.

“This is precisely the problem with our country,” posted Salman Ali Shoaib, “small-minded people focusing on songs of peace rather than terrorism, hatred, bigotry.”

During an interview with Playboy magazine in 1980, Lennon said ‘Imagine’ did not discourage faith, but “this whole my God-is-bigger-than-your-God-th ing.”

In a more conciliatory mood, Mr Abbasi yesterday tweeted that “we need to teach the Quran to check both forms of extremism - religious or liberal”.