[Sticks]

From the Daily Mail

Councillors have been ordered not to eat during town hall meetings while Muslim colleagues fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

All elected members at Left-wing Tower Hamlets Council in East London have been sent an email asking them to follow strict Islamic fasting during September no matter what their faith.

As well as restricting food and drink until after sunset, the authority's leaders have decided to reduce the number of meetings throughout the month so they do not clash with the requirements of Ramadan.

I half expect that council to impose these rules on employees as well .


At work we have been "instructed" not to invite Muslims to meetings where there is food, as some of the meetings we do cross lunch time and may require a buffet, I suspect we will not be allowed to order buffets, so as not to cause offence.

Or should we be fasting and giving up lunch/ tea breaks etc. so our Muslim colleagues religious views are respected?


Note, most Muslims have not asked for this, this came from the PC brigade

[Nurse57]

I know people assume I am all behind all things PC, but then we knew what assuming did.

I can't agree with this. What if my religion required me during meetings?

[Tom]

No, our country is not a Muslim country. Where I think we should respect their decisions I don't agree with adapting our lives to fit theirs.

[Leonine]

What about those millions of women everywhere who are on permanent 'lettuce leaf on Ryvita' diets? If we work with them should we half starve ourselves to death too just to make life easier on them? I'm always being told off by one particular workmate for leaving too much nice food where she can see it lol!

It should be up to any muslims to ease them selves through Ramadan as best they can. They get holidays like everyone else so could use them to book as much time off as they can during that month so they're at home & away from added pressures.

[Sticks]

How this story is reported in the Daily Telegraph


Is this some back tracking?

Still not sure what I will be doing on Monday at work, given what we were given in terms of "guidance"

[bananarama]

The only people who should stop eating are the PC brigade....

[Llamajohn]

If we were in a muslim country we should respect it.
But we are....christian i think?
Church of england
protestant
catholic
one of them things.

[AngRemembered]

Originally posted by bananarama
The only people who should stop eating are the PC brigade....

forever?

what a great idea, a slow and painful death by starvation, thats much better than the ideas I had for em... by about 3-4 hours more pain

[Tom4784]

A resounding NO! to the topic question. The PC brigade's going overboard, why should anyone change eating habbits due to somebody else's religious belief? Woud any other religion be given rights like these?

The way I see it Politics and religion shouldn't mix and you should never force the codes and traditions of religion onto people because some Jumped up power-mad t*** thinks we might offend someone.

[Scarlett.]

Should Muslims be made to observe Lent?

[Llamajohn]

Why don't we all just ovserve all religious times?

We may starve a bit...but at least we'd get loadsa presents

[bananarama]

Originally posted by Llamajohn
If we were in a muslim country we should respect it.
But we are....christian i think?
Church of england
protestant
catholic
one of them things.

One of them things!!!!!! Brilliant. A perfect description for religion.....

Only the religious should respect their own religion. None believers should tell control freak religious institutions to take a running jump off a tower block of flats....

[Sticks]

I will have to go and visit the Halal Fish and Chip shop to see what the guy there says.

[Sticks]

Well I tried to ask if the guy was out of order for imposing Islamic fasts on non-muslims, but I did not seem to get an answer.

Maybe I fluffed the question.

I did get a nice samosa and a fish cake though

[andyman]

Oh boy oh boy i can't wait to put up my winter tree!

[Leonine]

Originally posted by andyman
Oh boy oh boy i can't wait to put up my winter tree!

We've got 'Spooky Night' on 31/10/08 to look forward to before that.

Seriously ...that's what our kid's halloween party at work was called in case we offended any Witchfinder Generals who happened to be passing!

[Sunny_01]

This is the PC brigade gone totally mad. So what about those of us that actually want to eat at lunch time even if it does coincide with a meeting. I would not be happy if my rights to eat were restricted because of something like this. I respect Muslims and their choice to fast during Ramadam but that surely doesnt mean I have to does it. I wonder when people are going to remove meat from buffets on a friday and only serve non meat items and fish to respect the Catholic faith?

[Fom]

I respect Muslims 100% but why the hell should un muslim people do muslim things? We dont force them to have christmas? Yes its all around them but so is Ramadam... alot of my friends and my brother are going to be having Ramadam, doesnt mean I do it!
What a stupid and pathetic Idea... there is a difference from people respecting a religion then telling them they cant eat at a certain because of someone else's religion!

[Spike]

We should respect muslims and their beliefs but that shouldn't happen
I actually can't believe this country at times, its not even a muslim country
I respect peoples beliefs but I wouldn't change the way I live my life to suit different people. They can't ban you from eating

[bigbr0ther]

Originally posted by Sticks
From the Daily Mail

I half expect that council to impose these rules on employees as well .


At work we have been "instructed" not to invite Muslims to meetings where there is food, as some of the meetings we do cross lunch time and may require a buffet, I suspect we will not be allowed to order buffets, so as not to cause offence.

Or should we be fasting and giving up lunch/ tea breaks etc. so our Muslim colleagues religious views are respected?


Note, most Muslims have not asked for this, this came from the PC brigade

Not having buffets when there are Muslims around is just a sign of respect and make sense, as does having fewer meetings, but people shouldn't be forced to stop eating completely. They just shouldn't do it in front of Muslims.

[Sticks]

Originally posted by Sunny_01
I wonder when people are going to remove meat from buffets on a friday and only serve non meat items and fish to respect the Catholic faith?

Actually I was at an event where they purposely did not serve meet so as not to offend vegetarians and possibly those of other faiths

That was in 2005

[Sticks]

btw any idea where Fahead is, I was wondering what his take on what happened at tower hamlets is.

[30stone]

Why should we not eat infront of them its their choice not to eat not ours?

[bananarama]

Originally posted by Sticks
I will have to go and visit the Halal Fish and Chip shop to see what the guy there says.

Could you ask them if they say a prayer over each potatoe before turning it into chips......If so it must take a pretty long time to get served......

[AngRemembered]

Originally posted by bananarama

Could you ask them if they say a prayer over each potatoe before turning it into chips......If so it must take a pretty long time to get served......

and while your there ask em if they intend to close there business whilst the fast is on, I'm sure you'll get a swiftter response than the serving time.

Religious principles and beliefs V money, now i wonder who will win this time