Multiculturalism: The Outcome
Stories like those often float around the media every once in a while; below I quote you three recent incidents I recall.
I: Christmas Trees in Airports
There is a damper on Christmas cheer at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: A rabbi’s complaint led to the removal over the weekend of synthetic Christmas trees that have decorated the entrances every holiday season for the last 25 years.
The man behind their disappearance, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, told a Seattle newspaper he’s “appalled” that the airport officials removed the trees. His goal was not to clear out Christmas, but rather to add a celebration of Hanukah. He asked the port of Seattle, which runs the airport, to build an eight-foot menorah and hold a lighting ceremony. (Via ABC News)
II: Piggy Banks!
British banks are banning piggy banks because they may offend some Muslims.
Halifax and NatWest banks have led the move to scrap the time-honoured symbol of saving from being given to children or used in their advertising, the Daily Express/Daily Star group reports here.
Muslims do not eat pork, as Islamic culture deems the pig to be an impure animal.
Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, backed the bank move.
“This is a sensitive issue and I think the banks are simply being courteous to their customers,” he said. (Via AAP)
III: Public Swimming Pools
A COUNCIL has sparked fury by virtually shutting a swimming pool on Sunday afternoons for “Muslim-only” sessions.
All women are banned — and non-Muslim men may swim IF they follow the strict Islamic dress code of swim shorts that hide the navel and extend below the knee.
Croydon Council in South London runs the sessions at Thornton Heath leisure centre between 4.45pm and 6.45pm.
Similar slots are laid on for Muslim women outside opening hours, where bathers must be covered from the neck down to the ankle.
Locals who flock to the area’s only major leisure centre each week are furious. (Via The Sun)
Where is this going really, and when is it do you draw the line? Can you imagine the next step in this political correctness? “The Three Little Pigs” fairy tale will be banned from all nurseries and public libraries? And so will the “Green Eggs and Ham” story as well? Hang all 4 symbols of the Hindus, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism right along each Christmas tree around the world?
Has the world evolved to a point where it is blinded by it’s obsession with respect to other faiths and cultures that it fails to judge objectively? Isn’t the Christmas tree signifies the holiday season and not the Christian faith? Doesn’t Islam forbid conventional banking (that is based on interest and charges and such) in the first place? So what good would bang the piggy bank do seriously? And finally would it be hard to have a day or specified hours for “Women Only” instead of calling it a “Muslim Only” pool time?
Accepting the plea and adhering to the request acknowledges that the practice is justified, and then why not set up separate swim hours for Ethiopians, amputees, the blind or an almost infinite range of distinguishable communities who might make such demands?
books with pigs are already banned at bahrain’s school libraries..
isn’t it just wonderful to see how any trivial reason is used to gain such shallow goals..?
well, christmas tree or no christmas tree, a merry christmas it shall be!
cheers..
I understand what you wanted to achieve with your post. Islam ask us to use brain, objectivity, patience, tolerance etc in our way of life. It’s not our job to care what other religions are doing. It’s better that we concentrate on bettering our faith rather then become a nuisance to society as a whole. Alas, others or rather stupidity always prevail in religions no matter if you’re a jew, muslims, christian or whatever. God created us in different cultures so that we may get to know each other not to kill each other.
Salaam!
i like your your site… keep up the good work
salam
Good points. This PC bullcrap needs to stop NOW!
And finally would it be hard to have a day or specified hours for “Women Only” instead of calling it a “Muslim Only” pool time?
They can’t do that, because discriminating against anybody because of their sex is sexism. There have been lawsuits filed and won in the US, recently, against organizations that tried to prohibit access to people because of their sex.
Speaking of which… descrimiating against people because of their religion is a Civil Rights violation, in the US, and it’s a Human Rights violation according to the UN’s Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
A “Muslims only” day at a swimming pool is every bit as illegal as a “Christians only” day would be. That’s probably why people are trying to jump through hoops trying to pretend that these aren’t actually discriminatory policies. When, in fact, that’s exactly what they are.
By the way, the right to “Freedom of Religion” involves only PREVENTING people from practicing their religion freely. Exposing people to religious practices that they may fine objectionable (like a Christmas Tree) does not qualify.
Exposing people to religious practices that they may fine objectionable (like a Christmas Tree) does not qualify.
I need to qualify that statement. It *would* qualify, if a religious display could be considered to be discrimination against people of other faiths. I don’t believe that it is. Religious traditions and observances of another faith have no impact on my beliefs at all, and I don’t think any rational person could argue that such a thing is discrimination. No harm is being done. How could it be?
The tree is already back in the airport. It’s a thin line between being PC and acknowledging religious discrimination. The US is not a Christian country, so it makes sense to challenge the wish of many to make it one. As for the banks’ decision, that’s not PC, it’s just business.
I concede that political correctness has got a bad name in recent times, but I think it’s important not to slag it off too much. To some degree, the notion of political correctness is fundamental to the workings of equality within our society.
Remember that is defined as: “The avoidance of expressions or actions that can be perceived to exclude, marginalise or insult people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against. Furthermore, it is a progressive liberal orthodoxy on issues such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.”
If you stop and think about this, you realise that without it, society as we know it struggles to advance. Would we have abolished slavery without the orthodoxy of political correctness? I think you will agree that the answer is no. Do you agree? email me at mikenutworth@gmail.com or visit my blog.
Surfed in off BlogExplosion…how true! how true! how true! BTW, I have a piggy bank. ; )
Salaams!
I really liked this post. I was thinking of the same things.. Irrational decisions to “convince” that Christians respect the Islamic Religion. Instead real raprochment should be attempted.. We are losing control I thing..
I like your site
and pigs don’t offend me.. was “babe” banned in Bahrain too?
And finally would it be hard to have a day or specified hours for “Women Only” instead of calling it a “Muslim Only” pool time?
They can’t do that because even non-muslim women cannot see a muslim women’s hair or any covered part which is from the head to the ankles. Maybe you should look more into details before you comment.
I never came across this before! Could you possibly give me a proof of this? A scholar’s fatwa or something?
This is just absurd!
Leave a comment!
About Me
- Mohammed AlMaskati
East Riffa, Bahrain
I support a ONE Bahrain!
Pages
Recent Posts
Island Bloggers
Archives
Meta
Archive
Blogroll
Tag Cloud
EconomicsRandom Posts
Latest Video Post
Recent Posts
Most Commented