Posted on 09/19/2009 9:40:35 PM PDT by Steelfish
Don't Eat Near Ramadan Fasters, Home Office Staff Told
By JASON LEWIS 19th September 2009.
Home Office staff were officially warned not to eat in front of their fasting Muslim colleagues during Ramadan – in case it made them feel hungry.
The advice came in a taxpayer-funded internal document listing do’s and don’ts during the Muslim holy month, which ends this weekend.
But the guide is now at the centre of a row with Islamic groups who said it was more likely to incite hatred of Muslims than promote understanding.
Fasting: During the holy month, devout Muslims do not drink or eat from dawn until sunset and must avoid 'all obscene and irreligious sights and sounds'
The Home Office Islamic Network produced the five-page information sheet which says: ‘In practical terms, please be sensitive when eating lunch near a Muslim colleague who is fasting. This can make an individual feel hungrier and make it more challenging to observe the fast.’
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
To the tune of "I'm proud to be an American":
I'm proud to be an Infidel
Because at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the Christians that died who fought those pigs for me.
I'll gladly stand up and join in their crusade
because there ain't no doubt I despise Islam
Islam hates the USA!
Offer them one of your bacon rinds.
Our C.O. and 1SG told us during a platoon sergeants meeting that we needed to stress upon our soldiers the importance of not eating in front of any Arabs they might come into contact with because the Arabs were celebrating Ramadan. They also said to make sure the troops understood that the Arab men might be a little "testy", since they also refrain from having sex during Ramadan.
I'll never forget the look on the other PSG's faces as we all looked at one another... knowing our soldiers had been living on MRE's and "refraining" from sex as well.
Thanks for the memory.
Just wondering how many people would make a show of eating pork in front of Jewish clients?
Or scheduling meetings on Saturday if working with Seventh Day Adventists?
It is sheer stupidity to be deliberately offensive and shameful to be ignorantly offensive to clients and business colleagues and associates.
Don’t think for a moment I’m enamored by Islamic culture because I’m not, but I see a lot of Big Talkers on this thread that say that they would fall on their sword and risk their jobs over petty rude behavior when I think that the reality is they wouldn’t have the nerve to follow thru on their threats.
As a joke I used to carry a bag of pork rinds with me whenever I was on convoy or flights around Iraq. It was supposedly my last ditch plan to escape capture should that happen.
Hmmmmm.....
I’d order BBQ pork ribs for the whole office!!
Not all of them do...
(Now I'm hungry)
This is true. And yet there should no reason for an official manual or book of instructions. Like in most other matters this should be left to the better discretion of society.
If the person next to me on the flight leaving DFW objects to me eating the pulled pork sandwich I got Dickeys in Terminal C, they are free to find another seat, since I fully intend to eat my lunch instead of airline boxes
I do work around clients beliefs, if I know them. However, I won't project what they might be. If they don't bring it up or its not obvious, standard rules apply.
Finally I had great pork ribs in Israel one night for dinner, and all of my Israeli colleagues had them too. Stereotyping is often an epic fail
The context of the article and my comments were in the business setting.
When we have Saudi clients I do not go out of my way, as some posters suggested that they would do, to offend them. Yes, I accommodate them. I wouldn’t look at their holiday or dietary habits any differently than I would of any other religious or cultural group in the business setting. Although there are many things about some nationalities that I do not understand or appreciate I keep my opinions and such to myself in the workplace.
Offending the clients that hire us and pay the bills is incredibly stupid.
Most Americans have little or no exposure to Ramadan observances and even those of us that have been around it some need reminders.
Personally I think it ungracious for a few observers to pressure the rest of us into accommodating them, but when a company has a large regular Islamic client base then it is best to encourage some understanding and respect just as would be appropriate for any other culture with unique observances.
celebrate diversity!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.