by AK - Jeff 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=7116865&nav=9Tai
I find it curious, but take no particular view at this point. I can only imagine that such a thing [let's say a Christian Chapel] for Christians would not ever come under consideration. Perhaps it is as charged, Islamophobia.
Thoughts?
Jeff
I'm not very familiar with the Muslim faith; most people in my state are Christian. However, in the past few years, we've had several thousand Somalis relocated here. Now, people in my state can be very provincial in their attitudes, and distrustful of people from outside our state. So, we've got a bunch of folks who are: not from Maine, not from the U.S., not white, not Christian, and who, at least in the beginning, did not speak our language. Oh, and the Somali women wear very distinctive clothing, including headscarves. We were prepared for all sorts of anti-Somali, anti-Muslim talk from the locals. Amazingly, though, after a period of adjustment, everyone seems to be getting along just fine.
One of the larger companies up here has hired a large number of Somalis- for custodial and factory jobs at first, then other jobs as they learned sufficient English. A group of Somali men who worked in the warehouse were washing their feet in the men's restroom before they prayed. This got water all over the floors, and their co-workers were upset with the mess. Someone in management took the trouble to get someone bilingual to ask the Somali men what the deal was with all the water. On discovering it was a religious practice, the company installed a special room with foot-baths for them. By all accounts, it's not at all fancy, nor did the company spend all that much money on it. But it was a simple gesture to ease tensions between both parties, and it's done the trick. The other workers have not seen this concession as an example of favoritism, or as a repudiation of the Christian faith, nor should they! It's just a convenience for all concerned.
What irritates me in all this is that the Moslems are an aggressive lot who have no respect for the Christian religion in their countries especially in the ones that apply the Islamic law (sharia) as in Saudi Arabia where even wearing a crucifix is strictly forbidden let alone having Christian churches and services.
I can't understand why the Moslems are being treated so well in the Western world also given that their religion aims at the conquest of the entire world by them and tells them that they can't live in peace with non Moslems.
Easy solution: Build the thing and charge people to use it, at least until the costs are recovered. That way the taxi drivers get what they want and taxpayers won't end up out of pocket.
(I find it amazing how many controversial issues can be easily resolved by getting people to pay for the services they want to use.)
My idea is this. BAN them from using the sinks in such a manner (citing health and safety, standing water can cause serious falls and lawsuits). If they wanna clean their feet let them use wet wipes or let them be at home/mosque for prayer time. Really that is like saying it's 7:30 /Thursday lets get everyone seated and start the Bookstudy right here in the Airport. Maybe a Bishop can come through on holy days and begin waving incense, maybe passing out wafers and little plastic cups of grape juice, while blessing all. Buddhist could bring and set up alters. Satanist could make sacrifices. Where does it end. How offended will Muslims be then? Its an Airport not a place of worship. I think this is one of those thing that if you give an inch, next will be a mile. We have separation of state and church for this reason.
"What irritates me in all this is that the Moslems are an aggressive lot who have no respect for the Christian religion in their countries"
What irritates me is that there are some people that aggressively think that religions belong in special countries. ;)
yknot:
Really that is like saying it's 7:30 /Thursday lets get everyone seated and start the Bookstudy right here in the Airport. Maybe a Bishop can come through on holy days and begin waving incense, maybe passing out wafers and little plastic cups of grape juice, while blessing all. Buddhist could bring and set up alters. Satanist could make sacrifices.
Now now, it's really not like that at all. It's more like if eighty percent of taxi drivers were smokers and wanted a covered area where they could smoke. It doesn't cost much, it doesn't inconvenience anybody else and would be paid for from airport usage fees (or by the taxi drivers themselves as I suggested), not tax-payers.
Turning this into a church/state issue is ludicrous. It's been blown out of all proportions by a Christian fundamentalist preacher trying to foment hatred against Islam.
foment hatred against Islam
as if Muslims have never ever ever fomented hatred against any other infidels belief system in the world... right?
Funkyderek,
This actually is becoming an issue of state and church. In California the Muslims want extra time during school and a special area for Muslim children to pray. Now it is footbathing areas in an airport. Look we all get to choose whether to participate in religious ideolology but we do not get to demand that public state or federally regulated areas cater to specific religions. If they want to pray, they plan on being in an appropriate place during pray hour. If parents want their children keeping this tradition then take them out of school and return them after. Or they can use the "moment of silence" like other religious kids do to say private silent prays at the start of morning classes. We are a secular society. And yes this is like the Witnesses saying that the school needs to designate a room and teacher to care for Witness kids during times that the school is celebrating a holiday, birthday, pep ralley or saying the pledge. Maybe those following Kosher diets should insist that all Public School have Kosher Kitchens. Wait the Arian Brotherhood could demand separate bathrooms/anywhere designated by race (they consider themselves a religious order. Maybe we can re-enact all the "blue laws" in every state and force business owners to be closed on Sunday. The point is that with religion it is either everyone or no one.
By the way most airports do have designated smoking areas (since a majority of cities now have smoking bans) but they are NOT dictates of a religion.
Easy solution: Build the thing and charge people to use it, at least until the costs are recovered. That way the taxi drivers get what they want and taxpayers won't end up out of pocket.
If anyone has followed FD and myself in these forums, they would see that we have rarely ever agreed. [Not that that is all bad mind you.]
But here I do agree. The cost is covered. The persons who have religious matters to attend at work [however one may view that as a separate issue] are allowed to do so with dignity and safety. And the issue becomes moot. Realizing that many Muslim countries do not show the same consideration is not truly fair - most [if not all] the Muslims involved in this matter, likely had nothing to do with the government's policy in countries from which they may have come. Actually, they may have come from this country. It is not mandatory that everyone born in America is non-Muslim is it?
Jeff
