I hadn't heard of that one...had to look it up.
Un-freaking-believable! ...between the nanny-state and islam telling us how to run our lives....sheesh...We're going to have to take some action. This stuff isn't going to go away by itself.
Posted on 12/07/2006 5:31:38 AM PST by SJackson
A Muslim woman in Dearborn, Mich., lodged a complaint Tuesday against Fitness USA for an alleged civil rights violation involving a fellow gym patron. According to Jodi Berry, executive director of Fitness USA, Wardeh Sultan was praying in front of another member’s locker when the member wanted access to her belongings inside the locker. The inconvenienced patron tried to interrupt Ms. Sultan, but she remained prostrate in front of the locker and an altercation ensued. A manager was called into the locker room to intervene.
Ms. Sultan later complained that the Fitness USA management was unconcerned about the humiliation she suffered when her prayers were interrupted. She stated that the gym personnel were insensitive, rejected her complaints and did not satisfactorily intervene on her behalf. Ms. Sultan further reported that the manager told her, “You have to respect her (the other patron), but she does not have to respect your god.”
The incident is yet another example of special treatment Muslims are increasingly demanding nationwide. Last April, at the Lincoln Park, Mich. Fitness USA location, 200 Muslim women signed a petition demanding separate workout times for men and women, or, at minimum, installation of a divider between the men’s and women’s gym sections. A screen was eventually erected to obstruct the view of the women’s facilities. Another Fitness USA facility recently revised a dress code to allow Muslim women to wear more modest dress while exercising.
Other examples abound. Last week, six imams demonstrated against U.S. Airways for alleged discrimination against Muslims and their religious practices after they were detained and questioned because they had been praying in the Minneapolis airport, loudly invoking Allah’s name and uttering anti-American statements. Recently, Muslim cabdrivers refused to carry passengers possessing alcoholic beverages or accompanied by seeing-eye dogs. Last year, city public swimming pools in Seattle, responding to pressure from Muslims, instituted regularly scheduled hours for exclusive use by Muslims, including a “Muslim Sister Swim.” In June in a Chicago suburb, a Muslim girls basketball team, whose players compete wearing long, blue gowns and hijabs, requested that in competitions with non-Muslims schools, no men or boys be allowed to watch the games.
What is behind this rash of demands for tolerance and accompanying allegations of discrimination by Muslims? Could this be part of an agenda contrived to intimidate non-Muslims into enacting special concessions and privileges for Muslims that subtlety alter American society step by step? Is this the beginning of a militant movement or a cultural jihad toward incremental demands with the ultimate goal of Islamicizing the U.S. and imposing Sharia law?
At the same time, Muslims are alleging with greater frequency and vitriol that a growing intolerance of Islam exists and that the rights of Muslims to speak and worship freely are under attack by Americans. Muslim leaders such as Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, insist that Muslims have a right to petition for special accommodation based on their religious beliefs as mandated by the First Amendment. In truth, no requirement exists, either in state or federal statutes, requiring that such petitions be addressed or behavior adjusted accordingly. Further, the locations in question are publicly owned businesses providing services to the general public under behavioral and societal norms accepted by the majority of Americans. These are not private clubs exclusive to Muslim patrons and nothing prevents Muslims from creating their own private clubs to accommodate their needs. If a religion prohibits males and females from swimming together, its practitioners shouldn’t swim in public pools. If devout Muslim girls must play basketball in burkas away from the gaze of boys and men, competitions may be arranged exclusively with Muslims schools.
In the case of gym patrons, how far will the requests go before non-Muslim women are subservient to the whims and demands of Muslims? If a Muslim woman decides to spontaneously pray between the bench press and the treadmill are non-Muslims expected to alter their circuit in order not to disturb her? What if Muslims decide that they are uncomfortable with the immodest attire of non-Muslims exercising around them? Will they eventually demand that all gym participants dress according to a standard that they establish as appropriate? Once a Muslim-approved standard of dress is observed in the gym, would it be extended to cover shopping malls, post offices, other community locations and eventually an entire region?
As for praying in public places, such as fitness centers and airport terminals, to what extent should this be accommodated by American society? Do Muslims really believe that a gym locker room is a desirable and appropriate place for prayer? Can’t they schedule their day to attend the gym between calls to prayer or pray silently or in their cars? Most airports have non-denominational chapels for all religions. Aren’t these spaces more appropriate for vocal and physical attitudes of prayer than a busy terminal filled with passengers? In a post 9-11 world, it is unrealistic to expect that loud proclamations of Islamic faithfulness mixed with condemnations of U.S. policy will not raise suspicion and cause alarm. The tragedy of 9-11 has forever changed the air travel experience and certain behaviors are already constrained in the interest of American security. Is vocal and extreme religious behavior exempt?
Countless others have immigrated to the United States without demanding that we change our society to meet their religious requirements. It’s unfathomable that an orthodox Jewish taxi driver would deny passage to a person eating a ham sandwich or a Jehovah’s Witness would deny service to a passenger carrying a bottle of wine. We have already re-engineered assembly lines (Tyson Foods and Dell Computer) and overturned a city noise ordinance to allow for Muslim calls to prayer. Squiggle graphics on Burger King ice cream cones were discontinued as they allegedly resembled the Arabic spelling of Allah. Under threat of a lawsuit, Nike recalled a sneaker with a heel design that was also similar to the Arabic configuration for Allah and built three playgrounds in U.S. Islamic communities designated by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Where will this intimidation and shakedown of Americans and American institutions end? Will racism and bigotry accusations shame us into capitulating and abandoning our vigilance and security precautions? Will we be lured into curtailing our surveillance procedures, weakening the Patriot Act and enacting religious intolerance legislation focusing on Muslims? Muslim charges of victimization and discrimination have already paved the way for a variety of special treatment and dispensations. How many changes must we see on the American landscape and how far must Americans be pushed for concessions before we collectively say, “Enough?”
If you even attempted to pray there in your religion, they would throw you out so fast it would make your head swim. And you would also be permanently banned.
Why not go to the streching mat????
That picture reminds me of someone who should "mate" with John Kerry in his bunny suit. Could someone with more expertise please post the needed pictures.
This is not an "individual" effort. All acts of this nature, taken collectively, serve to soften the American population to a point where little or no force is necessary to take us.
Sounds paranoid? Maybe, but just because we are not paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get us.
I hadn't heard of that one...had to look it up.
The intention is to obstruct our day to day activities and establish legal precedent fir this. Airplanes. Fitness clubs. How about the banks, hotel lobbies, hospitals, perhaps some traders on NYSE will start doing the same.
This camel not only have the nose in our tent, it is a learned one and use our laws to get us out.
The madness has to stop. Sue businesses who allow such practices and they will have to ban them.
Someone needs to contact the manager and at the least, shake her hand! I would say have her run for political office, but that would be punishment. IMO, the manager was correct in what she said.
Next thing you know, they'll declare their lockers holy relics, and make them into mini-arsenals. Just like they do with Mosques.
I hope this doesn't go anywhere in court. It smells of intimidation on the part of the muslim woman to the infidel. Why would one prostrate oneself in front of a locker other than your own, in a walkway, between locker benches?
Would not common sense dictate to move oneself out of the line of traffic for safety reasons? The lack of common courtesy on the part of the muslim woman is what should be brought into scrutiny. I am sure the other woman would have not interfered with her prayers if she (muslim) had used a bit of common sense.
It doesn't sound paranoid to me. That is precisely what they are doing not only here but around the world as well. These people are fighting a two-prong war, one is peaceful i.e., subtly changing what society will accept so that soon the only acceptable thing will be islam. Second is offensive i.e., violent terrorism. Most of our sheeple and elected morons are defending muzzie rights in the name of diversity and PCism. We had better wake up and wake up very soon.
Time to put on your pig skin gloves and help her up from the floor.
If some judge in our court system goes along with this and gives them their way, then there should be outright rage on the behalf of every Christian in this nation.
We have heard nothing but the phrase "separation of church and state" for every little thing. If we Christians can't put up the Ten Commandments in a public building or pray in public schools, if we are to be ridiculed and sued by the ACLU for public displays of a cross or nativity scene, then Muslims shouldn't have special privileges for their prayer rituals. What's good for the goose... and all that.
Yep. PC will be the death of us all.
The funny thing is that the praying won't do any good. Muslim women aren't allowed in Paradise.
I remember when the term first surfaced in the 80's.......a bunch of crypto-Nazis setting limits on free speech.
Probing for weakness, Our political correctness run amuck. I for one am fed up with our lack of response. Perhaps it's time to start kicking a little butt and take no names. Mush-lims will be the majority in some cities like Dearborn, Mi. and vote themselves into office. Watch out Europe!
Let her deal with Michigan's awful business taxes like the SBT etc. and see how courageous she is, but we all know it isn't about that. Many of you have eloquently explained what this is about than I could.
Bravo to that health club manager! But I have just one question: I wonder if that Muslim woman was hot, I mean all bent over in a locker room like that?
(Asked purely out of disrespect!)
As our government wallows in its impotence, I'll prepare for the worst. I reserve the right to defend myself from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
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