Bangalore: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has demanded the withdrawal of a lesson on Christianity and Islam in a school textbook in Karnataka, claiming that such a chapter would "confuse young minds" and raising the spectre of conversions.

The Sangh parivar outfit has also objected to a task at the end of the chapter that entails visits to churches and mosques and writing notes on the religious rituals of these communities, Christmas and Ramazan. The VHP has found the task more "offensive" than the lesson itself, claiming that the two communities do not show interest in learning about Hinduism.

On Thursday, the VHP held protests in the coastal city of Mangalore and said it would send a memorandum to the Karnataka government demanding the removal of the chapter from the state curriculum for Class IX.

"All we want is the removal of the chapter that would confuse young minds," Mangalore VHP secretary Shivananda Mendon told The Telegraph on Friday.

Mangalore is known for communal polarisation.

The chapter titled Christianity and Islam is one of the four in the history section of the social sciences textbook for Class IX.

The book was introduced in the last academic year by the Congress government that re-wrote many schoolbooks to make them more "secular".

The lesson comprises three pages each on Christianity and Islam, followed by exercises with several questions based on the text.

At the end of the exercises, students are suggested an activity of visiting churches and mosques.

"Why should our children visit mosques and churches when they (other communities) don't reciprocate? I have no issues in understanding any religion. But the issue is mainly because of the mentality of Muslims and Christians, who don't let their children study and understand Hinduism," VHP leader Mendon said.

He attributed Thursday's protests to calls from parents who objected to their children being asked to go to mosques and churches. "What is the guarantee that Hindu children who participate in these activities would not end up being influenced by other religions and convert when they grow up?" Mendon asked.

Reminded that he himself would have studied about Islam and Christianity in school and despite that he still became a VHP leader, Mendon said times had changed. "We are victims of rapid conversions and hence cannot take such chances anymore," he said.

The president of the VHP's Puttur division, Janardhana, was of the view that such lessons had caused confusion in young minds. "Let other communities also learn about Hinduism just as the way we are forced to learn about them."

Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of English Medium Schools in Karnataka, said the book was introduced in the last academic year.

An officer in the Mangalore education department said no one had complained about the book. "Students have been following the book for a year and teachers have faced no issues whatsoever over the lesson from any parent," said the official who did not want to be named. He said the book would continue to be taught unless the government decided not to.