« Declare Victory and Leave? | Main | Lenninist Lynne Gets Lucky »
October 15, 2006
The Latest from the Religion of Perpetual Outrage
Via Little Green Footballs, we learn that Muslims in Britain are Outraged! What are some of them so upset about this time? The Olympics.
You see, the 2012 Olympics are to be held in London. Some Muslim got out his calendar and discovered that they will take place during their month of Ramadan, which as everyone now is considered a holy month. From the Daily Mail, a London paper
The 2012 London Olympics have been plunged into controversy by the discovery that the Games will clash with Ramadan, the most holy month in the Islamic calendar.The clash will put Muslim athletes at a disadvantage as they will be expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for the entire duration of the Games.
In 2012, Ramadan will take place from July 21 to August 20, while the Olympics run from July 27 to August 12.
An anticipated 3,000 Muslim competitors are expected to be affected.
About a quarter of the 11,099 athletes who took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics came from countries with predominantly Muslim populations.
Because the Muslim calendar is based on a lunar cycle, the ninth month of Ramadan - which runs from the appearance of one new crescent moon to the next - gets earlier by around 11 days each year.
The clash will be a huge embarrassment for Lord Coe, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, and London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who have been keen to ensure the Games involve all Britain's ethnic communities.
If they cave on this I'll scream.
Who is agitating for a change of dates? From the Sun article, none other than Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission. Shadjareh, it turns out, is an open supporter of Hizbollah. Big surprise. They don't call the place Londonistan for nothing.
Shadjareh tried to jusify his position by saying that the Olympics would not have been scheduled for Christmas.
Several problems with that analogy. First, I dont' think a whole lot of people would object if the Olympics were scheduled over Christmas. After all, American football games are regularly played on Thanksgiving, and occasionally on Christmas Day itself. Second, Christmas is a day, Ramadan a month. Half of the cities in the Muslim world seem to be "holy cities", now they need an entire month where we can't schedule anything important? Forget it. Third, they use a lunar calendar, which means that the date shifts every year. Sorry, but we're not shifting our dates too.
Lastly, and to the Sun's credit, a more sane Muslim is quoted who essentially says that Massoud Shadjareh is all wet
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an imam on the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said: "I'm sure the athletes will seek advice from their scholars."They are obviously going to be at a disadvantage because other competitors will be drinking and keeping up their energy levels.
"But they are athletes and I am sure they will train their bodies to cope with this.
"A Muslim might feel it would have been nice to avoid this month but life doesn't stop for Muslims during Ramadan even though they are fasting.
Let's hope that they listen to people like Mogra. Unfortunately, Britain is the home of political correctness, and my guess is that the Olympic committee will bend to the pressures of the extremists and change the date.
And I'll scream.
Posted by Tom at October 15, 2006 8:40 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.theredhunter.com/mt/refer.cgi/760
Comments
A reasonable Muslim. It's a start!
Posted by: DagneyT at October 18, 2006 7:02 PM
