'Sherlock Holmes' book banned for being anti-Mormon

A Sherlock Holmes novel has been banned from a Virginia school district for being anti-Mormon.

The Albemarle County School Board elected to remove author Arthur Conan Doyle's first Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet from the sixth grade reading list after the book was deemed offensive to Mormonism, the Daily Progress reports.

Board member Diantha McKiel told the website that the school system in question has a longstanding history of reconsidering books.

"Sometimes we have declared books age inappropriate, sometimes we have decided that they should stay where they are," she said.

The book was previously used as an introduction to the mystery genre. However, a number of parents found the work's portrayal of religion to be unsuitable for sixth graders.

"A Study in Scarlet has been used to introduce students to the mystery genre and into the character of Sherlock Holmes," said parent Brette Stevenson. "This is our young students' first inaccurate introduction to an American religion."

Students have already registered their protests against the ban, with more than 20 former middle school pupils turning out to oppose the ruling.

A number of Sherlock Holmes-based projects are in production at the moment, including the BBC series Sherlock and director Guy Ritchie's follow-up to 2009's Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows.

Watch the trailer for Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows below: