January 13, 2006

Dhimmitude alert

And what about the other way around?

A British airline has prohibited its employees from carrying Bibles, using crucifixes or St. Christopher Medals, on flights to Saudi Arabia in order “not to offend” Muslims in that country.

British Midland International has also established that female flight attendants should walk two steps behind their male colleagues and should cover themselves from head to toe with an abaya, a traditional Muslim overgarment, the Mirror newspaper of London reported.

BMI officials explained the decision saying the Islamic kingdom's strict laws – enforced by religious police – prohibit public practice of Christianity and figures of animals.

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 employees' union has proposed staff members 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.

Posted by Carine at January 13, 2006 08:51 AM
Comments

This type of thing always bothers me. Not with Islam, but you get the same thing with, say, professional groups. Example: a group called Black Journalists

Could anyone hear the outrage if a group of white journalists wanted to join a group?

Posted by: andy at January 13, 2006 08:49 PM

That´s an hoax.

Posted by: Dror at January 14, 2006 01:45 AM

Oh, is it?

And is it a hoax too that Bibles are forbidden in Saudi Arabia and that you can get whipped for trying to bring one in the Kingdom of the religion of tolerance?

Posted by: Carine at January 14, 2006 09:47 AM

No bibles, no churches in the KSA : that´s true.

Posted by: Dror at January 15, 2006 11:32 PM

Hoax or not, Saudi Arabia has a terrible track record regarding its tolerance of religions other than Islam. As the former director of the CIA recently reported, the imam of Al-Haram in Mecca, (Islam's most holy mosque), Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman al-Sudayyis, was barred from Canada last year after the translation of his sermons calling Jews "the scum of the earth" and "monkeys and pigs" who should be "annihilated." Speaking of Mecca, it's a city in which non-Muslims are forbidden to enter... More info here

Posted by: Filou at January 18, 2006 06:07 AM

Which country has been military supporting KSA for the last 50 years in exchange for oil supply??? I don't think the CIA carred much about these details...

Posted by: Alex at January 19, 2006 12:25 AM
Post a comment









Remember personal info?