Airline bans Bibles to avoid offending Muslims

WorldNet Daily ^ | January 9, 2006

[Stoat]

Airline bans Bibles to avoid offending Muslims
Carrier to Saudi Arabia also precluding crucifixes, teddy bears

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Posted: January 9, 2006
11:20 p.m. Eastern

 

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

A British airline banned its staff from taking Bibles and wearing crucifixes or St. Christopher medals on flights to Saudi Arabia to avoid offend the country's Muslims.

British Midland International also has told female flight attendants they must walk two paces behind male colleagues and cover themselves from head to foot in a headscarf and robe known as an abaya, the Mirror newspaper of London reported.

Teddy bears or other cuddly toys also are not allowed.

Airline officials, who have sparked outrage, the paper says, explain the Islamic kingdom's strict laws – enforced by religious police – prohibit public practice of Christianity and figures of animals.

BMI spokesman Phil Shepherd said: "In providing air services people want, demand and use, we have an obligation to respect the customs of the destination country."

An airline employee who asked not to be named told the Mirror: "It's outrageous that we must respect their beliefs but they're not prepared to respect ours."

The employee said his grandmother gave him a crucifix shortly before she died that he wears at all times.

"It's got massive sentimental value and I don't see why I have to remove it," he said.

The airline's staff handbook says: "Prior to disembarking the aircraft all female crew will be required to put on their company issued abaya. It will be issued with the headscarf which must be worn."

The employees' union wants staff members to be able to opt out of the flights, but the airline says the only option is to transfer from overseas staff to domestic flights, which could mean a loss of about $30,000 a year in wages.

About 40 staff members have filed complaints since the route began in September.

Some of the male members who are homosexual have called in sick, because they are afraid of traveling to Saudi Arabia, where homosexual activity is punishable by flogging, jail or death.

[Husker24]

What will they do next, remove the cockpit doors, as to not offend potential terrorists?

[Stoat]

Please see my post #15...my rhetorical sarcasm appears to have escaped some here; my apologies for not being more obvious.

[expatguy]

"It's outrageous that we must respect their beliefs but they're not prepared to respect ours."

[goldstategop]

Make that nobody is concerned about offending Jews and Christians. Why they have to censor their beliefs to avoid offending delicate Muslim sensibilities... I don't see where a British airline is obligated to enforce Saudi Arabia's racist anti-Jewish and and anti-Christian laws on its flights to that country. If they Saudis don't like equality with other religions, a better bet would be to cancel flights to the kingdom altogether. When are we going to stand up for our values? The last thing Britain needs to do is impose Sharia on its non-Muslim subjects - now that's the very epitome of true intolerance.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Stoat]

Agreed. Western culture has absolutely nothing that it needs to be ashamed of....we are, after all, not the ones blowing up women and children in terror attacks and flying planes into buildings. We should not feel obligated to bow down to these primitive aggressor who couldn't even build an airplane without our help to begin with.

This humiliating supplication to a bunch of inarticulate death-worshippers is the ultimate evidence of self-loathing on the part of Socialists and the Left. Ordinarily I would suggest that they deserve what they get, but the problem is that they will take us down with them.

[coconutt2000]

Umm... My comment about oil was equally sarcastic, in the spirit of your original comment.

[Stoat]

Sorry, that post was sent to you in error....my bad. I understand your meaning, although I'm guessing that this airline would have taken similar steps even if the Saudis had no oil, such is the self-loathing of the Left. It seems that all it takes for some to cower in a quivering mass of embarrassment at their very existence is for anyone to announce that they are 'offended'.

Of course, I've never had the slightest interest in going to Saudi Arabia and so my vows to use different airlines will have no effect. Hopefully many will see the WND and Mirror articles and perhaps rethink their travel plans.....we continue down this path of excessive humility at our own peril.

[tkathy]

What if the crew on a muslim airline from a muslim country were forbidden to wear their awful religious getups, banned the Koran, banned praying, etc., before landing in the West?

They would go crazy.

[WKB]

Baptist Ping

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Don't laugh! In the US airliners were forbidden to serve alcohol to passengers while flying over Kansas!

[Stoat]

I wasn't aware that Kansas had "restricted airspace" such as Washington DC and sensitive military installations do....

[chesley]

I guess I'm an insensitive SOB. I actually would prefer to see the terrorist supporting kingdom be offended.

If they have no respect, then they should get none. In spades.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[television is just wrong]

Don't fly on that carrier.

[Allegra]

British Midland International also has told female flight attendants they must walk two paces behind male colleagues and cover themselves from head to foot in a headscarf and robe known as an abaya, the Mirror newspaper of London reported.

I find this extremely offensive.

But I don't count. I'm not an ACLU-Protected Species.

[NYer]

Airline officials, who have sparked outrage, the paper says, explain the Islamic kingdom's strict laws – enforced by religious police – prohibit public practice of Christianity and figures of animals.

I'm no feminist but this might explain things.

key staff

Senior personnel across our business ...

position
chairman	Sir Michael Bishop CBE
chief executive officer	Nigel Turner
deputy chief executive	Tim Bye
chief operations officer	Alex Grant
managing director, bmi regional	Crawford Rix
director, operations	Captain Geoff Linaker
director, ground services	Andy Cookson
managing director, bmibaby	David Bryon
director, IT	Richard Dawson
director, engineering	Ian Davies
director, commercial	Adrian Parkes
finance director	Alan Bird
general manager	Tony Whitby
group treasurer	David Edwards
general manager, network planning and revenue optimisation	Alan James
customer relations manager	Ian Bloor
general manager, cabin services	Sam McKissock
general manager, cargo	David Biggs
general manager, charter	Chris Boylan
general manager, planning & support	Paul Hodgen
general manager, direct sales	Paul Burroughs
head of corporate communications	Robert Nadin

[Moby Grape]

On one hand the Muslim faith is dangerous, on the other it is STUPID...a teddy bear may offend...GEE WHIZ what dimwits.

[null and void]

Some of the male members who are homosexual have called in sick, because they are afraid of traveling to Saudi Arabia, where homosexual activity is punishable by flogging, jail or death.

Geeeze, how hard is it to keep your pecker in your pants on a layover?

[reagan_fanatic]

British Midland International also has told female flight attendants they must walk two paces behind male colleagues and cover themselves from head to foot in a headscarf and robe known as an abaya, the Mirror newspaper of London reported.

I'm beginning to wonder just how serious people in the West take the struggle with islam. As of right now, it appears near total capitulation is the norm.

[VOA]

"a teddy bear may offend...GEE WHIZ what dimwits"

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal had an article about neckties being
banned in Iran. I guess some Muslims say it's because it's a "Western"
clothing item...but for some reason sports jackets and slacks don't
seem to be A-OK with these same folks. But I think that's a "cover" for
the real reason: bigotry against Christianity. I think I found this out
when I did a bit of googling and found that neckties are banned in Saudi
because it might remind them of "the crucifixion"...don't ask me
where that sort of thinking comes from.
Or maybe the Saudis just take their tips from the Taliban:

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/central/07/19/afghan.ban/