Posted on 11/29/2005 12:38:40 PM PST by LibWhacker
Users of a city mosque are angry after an advert for a "gentlemen's club" went up opposite their prayer room.
The picture of a scantily-clad woman has been plastered across a billboard in Conduit Street, Leicester, opposite the Central Mosque.
Muslims who worship there said they found it offensive.
Owners of the Aviary club said they had not received an official complaint but did not want to cause offence.
Gul Mohammed, who works at the mosque, said: "It's not the kind of thing you want to see when you are doing your prayers.
"Also, when people - men, women and children - leave the mosque they have to go past it. Whether it's a mosque, a church or a temple it's not what you want to see when you leave a place of prayer.
"It does not make sense putting something up like that. It would be good to have it removed.
"I'm sure there would be plenty of other places to put it."
Yahya Thadha, a member of the congregation, said they were angered more at the positioning of the poster rather than its content.
He said: "It's more the fact that people should be a bit more sensitive. We're upset rather than outraged.
"You can see it straight out of the window. We can understand they have a business to run, but our anger is more with the people who own the land who should have been a bit more sensitive."
He said he believed it was on council-owned property.
Spinney Hills ward councillor Hashim Panchbhaya said he supported the worshippers. He said: "I will take it up with the council and ask them to see what he can be done.
"The poster has caused a lot of offence to a community that has very high standards.
"It's not acceptable for people coming out of a mosque to see something like that. There's enough immorality in the world and to impose something like this on Muslims is totally unacceptable.
"There are sensitivities at stake and there are other places they can put it. To see a half-naked woman right outside the mosque is downgrading and not acceptable."
Aviary manager Paul Rodgers said the venue had received no complaints over the billboard.
"There are very strict rules about what we can do and the media company we use for advertising has gone through all the right channels," he said.
"We would never intend to cause anybody any discomfort. If we received an official complaint we would look into it.
"The last thing we want to do is cause anybody any offence."
That's just it. I DO find this offensive. But I know if I complained about it as a Christian, I would be laughed it--even by other Freepers. Why do Muslims get the kind of consideration we can't get in a supposed Christian society?
Better yet, have a special day set aside every week for an outdoor roast pig barbecue.
I'd rather remove the mosque. I'm offended that is close to a pic of cute girls.
You may be right, but if memory serves, there was a thread not too long ago on a strip bar or something similar located across from a church.
I used to think it was bad when a strip club moved into the neighborhood, then they stated putting up all those mosques ...
Tough $hit! Go back to your third world muslim country if you find it offensive!
Thats better.
And I find it offensive to exit a gentlemen's club and have to see a mosque.
In fairness, I think many Christian churches would also object to such ads being posted in the immediate vicinity of their houses of worship. A few years back, the city bus stop shelter right next to the largest mosque in Manhattan sported a larger-than-life close-up of a woman wearing itsy bitsy bikini underpants. For many worshippers, this bus stop would not be reasonably avoidable. The poster mysteriously disappeared a week or so after it went up, and presumably wasn't removed by authorized personnel since the ad space then remained empty for some time. It is insensitive to put up ads like that in a place where it's guaranteed to offend a huge number of people. I expect the patrons of St. Patrick's Cathedral would have responded in a similar manner.
Eff em! It's a free country isn't it? At least I think the United Kingdom is a free country.....
It would be more offensive to me to have to view a mosque from my window.
What if the mosque offends us?
Solution, go back to Saudi Arabia.
High standards, eh? Like these high standards:
Well, for one thing, they're in the U.K.
For another, doesn't look like they've gotten more than press coverage. Christians get that much consideration all the time, right here at home, when something offensive pops up in the neighborhood. Then it becomes a matter of zoning ordinances.
"the media company we use for advertising has gone through all the right channels"
Sounds like the media company did a very good job. All they had to do was put up one billboard poster and they've got local media coverage and now are being discussed on international websites! I reckon, wait a week, then take the thing down and apologise for any offence caused and that should be enough for another newspaper story.
I just hope the media company are on commission!
Yes! Some probably find mosques in their neighborhoods offensive! And my response to them would be the same....so?
No one has a right to NOT be offended.
You're right, but I am not required to be fair.
Right. Go stick it in front of a Christian church. We wouldn't want islamites offended.
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