See Ch5 in my book "The Mummy's Curse: Mummymania in the English-speaking World" (Routledge 2006). My worldwide interviews with museum visitors prove objectors are few & subconsciously motivated by Western fears of death & pollution. Only museums can counter horror stereotypes with real mummies.

Dr Jasmine Day, Perth, Australia

What has this world come to ?
since when should a Mummy,dead for hundreds of years,suddenly become "a naked embarresment" to anyone. The last I checked the latest fashion for mummy's was burial wraps that show nothing. to learn from the remaning bones,one must be able to see the bones.
Sad state!

Linda Musgrave, Whiteville,N.C., U.S.A.

I absolutely don't agree with this censoring. If you don't want to look, don't visit that area. That the public should be 'protected' from aspects of historical relics is against the spirit of the museum ethic. Also, the more salacious bits of museums are the bits that kids love and get them hooked.

Jo, Bristol,

Why are the minority being allowed to dictate? Debate is part of the learning process. As a museum professional, I am very aware that I am in my job because of visitors, but I would be ashamed, not to mention letting down the majority if I let a small percentage of visitors spoil things.

Claire, Ayrshire,

As others have suggested, as long as the signage is clear and people know what to expect, they can avoid the remains if they do not wish to see them. The mummy can be sensitively covered without being shrouded from head to toe, which really tells visitors nothing.

Claire, Ayrshire,

I recently had a fantastic holiday in Egypt, seeing magnificent things! I saw the mummy of KIng "Tut" in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. "Tut" was covered in a cloth, with his head, hands and feet showing. I was happy with this. It is a sign of respect for a fellow human being.

Mary, Melbourne, Australia

It is less than reasurring to realise that our museums are apparently staffed by professionals who have not got the guts to defend the culture - NOT some corrosive half-baked,
amorphous 'multi-culture' - that nurtured them.

Geoffrey Lamputt, Much Wenlock, United Kingdom

Humans are in the main objectionable (in more ways than one).
It's why we wear clothes - to hide the badly proportioned and bits that don't / can't match what is considered to be attractive.
Regarding the issue at hand - Let me guess what is at the core of all this -- RELIGION. Dawkins is right.

Peter Cunningham, Sydney, Australia

How pathetic! The human body is a beautiful work of art . To exhibit a mummy for educational purposes should cause offence only to the extremely narrow-minded minority whose opinions should be disregarded. These sad people don't HAVE to view mummies, if they object to their nakedness.

polli, Bury, UK

Naked we come into this world and naked we go. Clearly some deluded people think otherwise. I suggest we throw sheets over all ageing rock stars, and provide some sensitive masking of their mummified state, even if they insist on flaunting it!

Paul Freeman, London, England

It is not the nakedness so much as the public display of a dead human being that is objectionable. Human remains should be treated with respect and given a decent burial. How would you like to know that after your mother has died and been buried someone will dig her up and put her on public display?

Timothy, Borough Green, UK

This world has gone PC mad! Why should the museum cave in to busy bodies who obviously do not appreciate that the exhibits are just a true reflection of the times? Anyone offended should keep it to themselves and let others enjoy what they fail to understand.

Jade, North London,

I think that the real issue is that these ancient egyptians went to great effort and expense to present themselves to their gods as they saw fit. Only to be dug up thousands of years later and displayed for every Tom, Dick and Harry to see. A total disrespect to a civilizations belief, naked or not

Anthony North, Cardiff,

How utterly ridiculous. It's an educational facility, not porn. Would you cover up nudes in an art gallery? Veil David's bits? It's political correctness gone mad - again. What kind of visitor would go into a museum expecting a mummy to be nicely dressed? What do you learn from a shroud?

Eleanor Potten, Derbyshire,

Put a sign outside the room where they are displayed saying that the bodies are nude. If anyone would be offended by seeing naked corpses thousands of years old, they needn't go in. Problem solved. Next one, please.

Tina, Dusseldorf, Germany

I advise everyone that thinks this measure is ridiculous to complain to Manchester museum. The minority are gaining too much control over the Britain we live in. This is a democracy, decisions should be based upon the majority holding that view, not on who can make the most ridiculous demand.

Ro, Cheltenham,

The world has indeed gone mad! What next - painting pants on the The Cerne Abbas Giant? I do worry about society - there are so many wrongs in the world that they should be campaigning against why don't they put their energies into that?

Daz, Sunderland, UK

Personally I am extremely concerned about such developments, for a number of reasons:

1) It appears that HAD, an organisation representing British Pagans, appears to have been able to exert a disproportionate amount of influence over the fate of ancient Egyptian mummies in a world-famous Egyptology collection. In my opinion, this cannot be justified.

2) In my opinion the fact that a mummy is on display does NOT automatically signify disrespect for the culture it represents. On the contrary, mummies in sensitive modern museum displays are not shown to make score sensationalist points but to enhance our understanding of an ancient culture with a rich spiritual life and great sophistication.

3) I am concerned that the role of museums in the presevering of heritage and educating the public may be jeopardised by such misguided decisions in the long run, whatever the intention of the decision makers. The management of Manchester Museum have a responsibility towards this world class collection and its credibility as a resource of both academic study and popular education, which may be compromised by a loss of credibility arising from this decision.

4) In my opinion, covering mummies or removing them from display IN ITSELF does noting to improve our respect for the ancient culture. Respect can only arise from a greater understanding and appreciation, which is not likely to be fostered by covering things up and hiding them from view. The covering up of some of the Manchester Mummies strikes me as a misguided reaction to pressure exerted by articulate minorities whose views must be balanced against other, wider and long-term considerations, and I fear that the decision represents the retreat of a reasoned, rational approach to heritage in favour of a return to something akin to the intellectual dark ages.

Birgit Schoer, London,

Yet another example of P.C gone mad. Surely those in favour of nakedness in context far outweigh those who have an issue with it. Perhaps they should stay away from museums or, better still, enquire beforehand as to the level of nudity on display. Nuts nuts nuts!!!!!!

Tom Freeman, Leicester, England

Like other readers I would like to know the general identity of the complainers. This smacks of the anti-science views that a minority in our country have started to spout. We English should let the MM know we are proud that Lindow Man is still on display in his nakedness.

Liz, BRistol,

This is absurd. I'm actually far more offended with the complainers and their presumption - how arrogant to insist that other people be denied a chance to see something accurately and honestly, just because of their personal quirks?

Richard, London,

Presumably they are censoring all of their pictures as well. I agree with other posts, that we should know the general identity of the people complaining.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

I can see why some people would have trouble with exhibiting dead naked bodies without any particular reason. However, in this case, it is ludicrous that the bodies should be covered, as it will result in hiding the reason they have been put up for show in the first place – mummification.

Harry W, Hitchin, UK

Mummies were not buried naked, they were wrapped in linen. They should be displayed the way they were found, not covered by modern sheets as if they were a crime scene. I suspect the 100 complaints were orchestrated, and reflect the views of those 100 people, not the 60,000,000 people in the UK

Joseph, London, UK

Who are these people complaining? Why has there been a surge of complaints? Is there something particular about this mummy? Surely this exhibit and 100's like it have been displayed in this "exposed" way before? Sounds like a targeted campaign to me? What will we throw a cover over next?

Jackie , POOLE, UK

Tell the complainers to grow up.
The idea that a naked mummy should be cause for offence,even on behalf of children,is obscene.
I detect cultural sensitivity here and if so we should have more detail of the complainers and their agenda.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

I think there is nothing wrong with nakedness, but in a time where many countries are calling for the return of objects that are now found in British collections, it is important that exhibitors tread more carefully. More research should have been done before the mummies were ever displayed.

Amy, Joetsu, Japan

If museums start covering up displays and exhibits because of some reason or other, then what is the point of having them on display in the first place. We all know what a museum houses so don't go if you don't want to see it's exhibits.

T Lim, Bicester,

Why should a naked Eygyptian mummy in a museum have to be covered up to please a small handful of prudists at a time when the genitalia of statues have been on clear view in other museums and in some city centres all over the world for donkeys' years past ?

Malcolm Woodward, Diss, United Kingdom

This is a museum and their is nothing unnatural about nakedness. It is simply the way they were buried. The fact that during Victorian times, a period of absurd modesty, they were unwrapped, just goes to show how foolish this move is.

Rob, Singapore,