Apology to the muslims

[Toyney]

See in yesterday's paper they now want lesson at uni to stop for a couple of hours on friday's so that they can go pray. What next? Make everyone take the weekend on Thursday & Friday as they do in Saudi. If they want to pray on a Friday, there are probably plenty of uni's in Rhyiad, Damascus or Cairo that will take them without disrupting our education system. Probably get a better education there anyway since ours is so dumbed down.

at my college in sheffield ( 9 years ago now) we had to be quiet at particular times of the day because there was rooms set aside for pupils to go and pray at the special times of day they need to pray... boys/men on one side of the hall, girls/women on the other. the rooms are all gallery type with glass windows for the full length so you can see inside easily (i have no idea why men and women couldnt pray together when the rooms are so easily observed from outside) but you imagine telling 30 press photography students (who have no particular respect for anyone, least of all anyone who has to stop what they are doing to pray in the middle of the day... ) to be quiet.... and dont point your flash in that direction... thats just a red rag to a bull that is!

am i guilty of joining a mass flash blinding contest in the halls...that would be telling but it seemed funny at the time.

[Gizmo]

When I was at uni....they gave them a separate room to pray in...none for the Jews or Catholics or other faiths

Just read in the local rag that the Council/Housing associations are devloping houses with muslim families in mind.

4 bedrooms
Double rooms downstairs
toilet not facing mecca
and so on...

they say that anyone on the list who requires houses this size will get one...but what a smack in the face the fact that the opening statement is about larger muslim families requiring council houses to be built bigger.

[TJG]

When I was at uni....they gave them a separate room to pray in...none for the Jews or Catholics or other faiths

Just read in the local rag that the Council/Housing associations are devloping houses with muslim families in mind.

4 bedrooms
Double rooms downstairs
toilet not facing mecca
and so on...

they say that anyone on the list who requires houses this size will get one...but what a smack in the face the fact that the opening statement is about larger muslim families requiring council houses to be built bigger.

Once again we get stuff that has a basis in fact but is wildly distorted. I work developing housing for a housing assoc. Yes indeed in some areas there is an identified need for large family houses. These are not built for muslims they are built for large families. Now it just so happens that some musilms have large families, but then I was brought up a Catholic and should be damned to hell by now for not siring at least 10 brats. It is a fact of life that many asians live in extended families, they just happen to prefer to look after their elderly parents rather than stick them in a home that stinks of pi$$. Not sure what you mean about a double room downstairs but there is a general move towards ""accomodating diversity" which means exactly what it says, trying to build houses that a range of people from different backgrounds will be able to use and enjoy living in. This does mean doing things like putting in a downstairs WC (so disabled people can use it), putting in showers (not all people in the world share the british enthusiasm for a bath), I have heard of the WC not facing Mecca idea too. In my experience it may or may not happen depending on where the toilet is, I was always under the impression it was so one didn't present ones @rse to mecca when polishing so I suppose it should not be facing away from mecca, sadly I along with most other non muslims have no idea where mecca is (OK who said in the high street with the queue of old ladies outside). One thing that is not done but would be if the preposition that we build for musilims is true is to install bidets, muslims don't seem to like Isal medicated or for that matter andrex,they prefer a good jet of water. I have seen some strange homemade adaptations that would make you sit up when they got turned on.

So I hope I have enlightend some about that story. I used to work for a HA that historically built sheltered accomodation for elderly asians, as you might expect the staff featured a lot of asians, we had a room for prayers of any faith or to just sit quietly for those of no faith or with hangovers. Mind you I still remember the Christmas a few years ago, the muslims were fasting at ramadan, the hindus were celebrating divali and stuffing themselves silly and the rest of us were doing what is traditionally done at xmas and getting lashed, and it never ended in a punchup either.

[Gizmo]

Once again we get stuff that has a basis in fact but is wildly distorted. I work developing housing for a housing assoc. Yes indeed in some areas there is an identified need for large family houses. These are not built for muslims they are built for large families. Now it just so happens that some musilms have large families, but then I was brought up a Catholic and should be damned to hell by now for not siring at least 10 brats. It is a fact of life that many asians live in extended families, they just happen to prefer to look after their elderly parents rather than stick them in a home that stinks of pi$$. Not sure what you mean about a double room downstairs but there is a general move towards ""accomodating diversity" which means exactly what it says, trying to build houses that a range of people from different backgrounds will be able to use and enjoy living in. This does mean doing things like putting in a downstairs WC (so disabled people can use it), putting in showers (not all people in the world share the british enthusiasm for a bath), I have heard of the WC not facing Mecca idea too. In my experience it may or may not happen depending on where the toilet is, I was always under the impression it was so one didn't present ones @rse to mecca when polishing so I suppose it should not be facing away from mecca, sadly I along with most other non muslims have no idea where mecca is (OK who said in the high street with the queue of old ladies outside). One thing that is not done but would be if the preposition that we build for musilims is true is to install bidets, muslims don't seem to like Isal medicated or for that matter andrex,they prefer a good jet of water. I have seen some strange homemade adaptations that would make you sit up when they got turned on.

So I hope I have enlightend some about that story. I used to work for a HA that historically built sheltered accomodation for elderly asians, as you might expect the staff featured a lot of asians, we had a room for prayers of any faith or to just sit quietly for those of no faith or with hangovers. Mind you I still remember the Christmas a few years ago, the muslims were fasting at ramadan, the hindus were celebrating divali and stuffing themselves silly and the rest of us were doing what is traditionally done at xmas and getting lashed, and it never ended in a punchup either.

I am not against building larger houses for larger families it is the concept that [and yes it may be speculation] they take one faith as an example...I am sorry to offend but if I went to a muslim country would I have the consideration that opne faith gets above another [ie providing rooms or allowing houses to become places of worship] without any problems. If I wanted to start a church or synagogue in a muslim country I dont think the respect of those faiths would be the same.

Its got to be a level playing field and this is not how it is seen!!

[Apache]

I am not against building larger houses for larger families it is the concept that [and yes it may be speculation] they take one faith as an example...I am sorry to offend but if I went to a muslim country would I have the consideration that opne faith gets above another [ie providing rooms or allowing houses to become places of worship] without any problems. If I wanted to start a church or synagogue in a muslim country I dont think the respect of those faiths would be the same.

Its got to be a level playing field and this is not how it is seen!!

We are maybe more sensitive to the needs of others in this country than they are in some middle eastern countries.

That to me is a good thing, not a bad thing.

[Philip]

Tuppence worth

I have had Christians, Jews and Muslims all working in my house at various times. Strange to say all used a hammer to knock nails into a piece of wood in the same way. Only difference i could see was, one wouldn't work on Saturday, the other on Sunday and the other wanted few minutes off couple of times a day to pray.
The biggest problem as i see it, is that the "West" have been giving huge sums in aid to many countries, which is basically being stolen by the people in charge. Marcos stole billions even it would appear that Arrafat had a few secret accounts.
If aid went to where it as supposed to go, perhaps more people in down trodden countries would be working and have more self respect.
I don't think that many people would want to start a revolution after working from 9-5, cetainly not me.
Unfortunately in this day and age, it doesn't matter that a branch of a large business is making a profit, it has to make a bigger profit, now, to keep shareholders happy or be closed down, without thought of people working there.
Bring back the Hippys. Peace and Love to everyone.
Philip

[TJG]

Maybe we need to look back a few hundred years, then we had quite strict religious laws, we would quite happily burn catholics so that they might gain salvation. We were charging around the world killing people and converting them so that they too might be saved (probably after we had liklled them!). These countries are a few hundred years behind us, just look at them and compare and contrast with green and pleasent land in say Henry VIII time. Since that time, especialy in the last 100 years we have become more secular and religion is generally seem as a bit of a diversion from life, whereas for many religion and life are as one.


I see no reason why we should expect to go to another Country and expect to behave as we do here. Perhaps we should look upon the fact that we feel comfortable enough to be able to allow people of other cultures and faiths to express themselves freely. Rather than feel agreieved that they don't feel the same perhaps we should take some pride in the fact that our tolerance is a mark of our country and intolerance is a mark of thiers.

Just in case anyone is wondering if I spend my days god bothering I should add that I'm white, english, largely agnostic and was brought up in Peckham SE London, one of the most cultural diverse areas of the UK.

As a final though I would envoke the words of Cecil Rhodes, founding Father of Rhodesia when he said "You have won first prize in the lottery of life, you have been born an Englishman". Sorry all you Scots, Welsh & Irish, (I'm sure we would welcome it if you adopted the honour though) but thats what he said and I for one think he was right!

[Bogus]

I see no reason why we should expect to go to another Country and expect to behave as we do here.


Well Im not English, and have no desire to be, but having said that English/Scots /Welsh/Irish are not so different apart from the Scots being more tolerant, less agressive and more generous of heart spirit and possessions than our Southern Cousins, but I would say that WE DO expect to go to other countries and behave as we do here, and not only do we expect it we do it. Ive lived in other countries and the British Expatriate communities do exactly that. They behave pretty much as they do at home and hold the views that they are right, natives wrong, or natives backward and wrong. That of course is a generalisation but just ask any Brit who has been an "expat" Us Scots are famous for it, the further away we go the more Scottish we become with our stupid Caledonian Societies and kilts that theyd never wear and Burns nights that theyd never go to at home. Other Brits are the same, Ive seen it. So Im happy for others to do their thing when they come to Britain, Im just less happy when their thing becomes stopping us doing some of our things

Bogus

[BUSHWHACKER]

www.jilldaniels.com/there'll-always-be-an-england-sample.mp3

[Apache]

Maybe we need to look back a few hundred years, then we had quite strict religious laws, we would quite happily burn catholics so that they might gain salvation. We were charging around the world killing people and converting them so that they too might be saved (probably after we had liklled them!). These countries are a few hundred years behind us, just look at them and compare and contrast with green and pleasent land in say Henry VIII time. Since that time, especialy in the last 100 years we have become more secular and religion is generally seem as a bit of a diversion from life, whereas for many religion and life are as one.


I see no reason why we should expect to go to another Country and expect to behave as we do here. Perhaps we should look upon the fact that we feel comfortable enough to be able to allow people of other cultures and faiths to express themselves freely. Rather than feel agreieved that they don't feel the same perhaps we should take some pride in the fact that our tolerance is a mark of our country and intolerance is a mark of thiers.

Just in case anyone is wondering if I spend my days god bothering I should add that I'm white, english, largely agnostic and was brought up in Peckham SE London, one of the most cultural diverse areas of the UK.

As a final though I would envoke the words of Cecil Rhodes, founding Father of Rhodesia when he said "You have won first prize in the lottery of life, you have been born an Englishman". Sorry all you Scots, Welsh & Irish, (I'm sure we would welcome it if you adopted the honour though) but thats what he said and I for one think he was right!

Hear hear! Well put! (and keeps the thread alive!)

[yoshie]

So people in the Middle East are going to boycot Danish and Norwegian goods. I've been racking my brain and all I can think of is Danish Bacon and those Snazzy thick Norwegian Jumpers, wouldn't have thought either would have been massive sellers over there! Still I suppose its the principle that counts.

Tall Blonde women should have been top of your list
boycot hmmmm I THINK NOT!!!!!!!!!