Scotland the Brave?

[j4bberw0ck]

Nope. Scotland the Politically Correct (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2258664.ece)!

[Dman]

I think politicians get paid an awfull lot of money for making everybodys life on the whole a lot more difficult while there's gets a lot more fruitfull, just my opinion not everybodys.

[Oddquine]

Can't see any problem in asking staff members anywhere to consider Muslims at Ramadan.........at least they're not making the consideration law as they did with smokers!

They don't have to if they don't want to.....and I'm sure the vast majority of Muslims don't give a tinker's cuss about it anyway.

IMO, the Muslim Council of Britain are more bother than they are worth........and represent only the Muslim Council of Britain.

It's about time Government on both sides of the Border kicked them into touch and found a less divisive Muslim organisation to use as advisors.

[badger]

How ridiculous. As Mary Scanlon says, R.C.s don't expect others not to eat meat on Fridays. Anyway surely it gets them extra "virtue points" if they have to fast while others are eating, to fast when all around you are fasting sounds too easy. I admire them for sticking to their convictions but that's no reason to expect those with different beliefs to be inconvenienced.

[horseman]

I wonder where you pulled that bravery from oddquine?
Agree with you all the way, just don't see me being the one to put it up there;)Must be the aberdonian blood:)

[pat]

My muslim friends encourage me to eat and drink whilst they are fasting for Ramadan - they look on it as it is their wish to fast as part of their religion and I as a visitor should not be inconvenienced in any way by their customs.
Some days I do fast, extremely hard I must say - this is when I discover how often I have something to eat/drink or think about food/drink. When I am with my muslim friends I usually fast with them especially on the last day, then we all enjoy a celebration meal at sunset.
My friends like the fact I join them for some of the fasting and the celebrations - they join in my celebrations for Christmas and Hogmanay, we enjoy and respect each others customs.
To try to put it on an official footing is extremely silly.

[Jeemag_USA]

Oh boy, this just seems a little silly, and I am not trying to be insensitive to Muslims, but Ramadan is a lot more than just not eating during the day. One of my very good friends, who is a muslim and lives in Caithness taught me a lot about Ramadan, and I know for a fact she followed the fasting rule strictly but she also worked around other family memebers who were not muslim who ate, and she also had food in the house during ramadan, no matter where she went there was always temptations.

But there is a lot more than fasting to Ramadan. Charity is a big part of it, and charity also includes being understanding of others, during ramadan you should be strong willed and resist temptation, you must avoid eating until after fourth prayer which is basically the evening, its not that Muslims starve themselves for a month, they can eat between 4th prayer and first prayer, so they are not starving all the time.

Ramadan also includes refraining from anger, envy, greed, lust, sarcastic remarks, talking about people behind their back and gossiping. So in other words muslims should not be angry that non muslims are eating around them, its a test of character and will power.

Above all muslims should be expected to show a great deal of tolerance during Ramadan, and one would think that being in a mostly non muslim country, then tolerance should be observed for those for which Ramadan is not a part of their life.

I think its just making a mountain out of a molehill.

[Tristan]

I think it might be a good chance for our overworked doctors, nurses etc to go down to the canteen and have a proper meal. Let the overpaid politicians and those form the SNP and new labour collecting two salaries to watch the ward for a while.

[JAWS]

Are they going to issue the same instructions when it comes to Lent? Perhaps we should be expected to check who has given what up for Lent so as to avoid upsetting people.

I could understand pointing out that suggesting a "Working Lunch" to a Muslim during Ramadan is not the most sensible thing to do and is certainly something I would not knowingly do. I would consider that to be simply good manners.

What next? Advising bakeries, cafes etc to close during Ramadan for the same reasons? It's this sort of nonsense which does far more to aggravate tensions between various races and religions than it ever does to ease things.

If there were some suggestion that eating during Ramadan was being carried out with the intention of being insulting to Muslims then that I could understand but this just seems to be an attempt to invent a problem simply to create the impression of apparently overcoming it.

[jsherris]

When I was at Uni, (chemistry degree as a mature student... :eek:) a few of us decided to help one of 'our gang' & join him in Ramadan....

We had great fun ordering pints of water in the Union Bar! [lol]

Would I do it again? Yes, of course I would, & anyway, we had a wicked party at the end of it!

Plus, at Chrimbo time, Saeed & his missus came to us for dinner - what lovely memories this brings back - mind, only 12 years ago!

[Rheghead]

Nope. Scotland the Politically Correct (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2258664.ece)!

Doesn't Christianity inclinations dictate licencing hours etc for sundays, good friday and xmas?

[Anne x]

each to there own I say

but good luck to fellow people who help each other out being scottish ie Highland dont we all have our own customs traditons etc we up hold

didnt your mother ever say to you yes go out on hogmanay but be back by the bells OR------and then go out again

[mccaugm]

I am (a slightly lapsed) Christian but would not expect everyone to follow my beliefs, so do not expect to be told when I can and cannot eat because of someone elses beliefs. This is ridiculous. This is a Christian country, so why are we bending over backwards for every minority religion in this country. I for one am sick of it. There was a thread on here a while back with the views of Australians on it. It basically said if you don't like the way we do things here you have the right to leave just as you had the right to come here in the first place. Maybe we should take a leaf out of their book.

[j4bberw0ck]

Doesn't Christianity inclinations dictate licencing hours etc for sundays, good friday and xmas?

Yes, it does; shop opening hours, too, and stupidities like (in England, anyway) it's illegal to sell fish and chips on a Sunday. But that's not really the point, is it?

What we have here is NHS Trusts "advising" staff (and according to other reports, enforcing compliance by removing vending machines and suspending sandwich services) that their continuing with their normal practices is potentially "offensive" during Ramadan. I agree with JAWS; if you work closely with someone, then perhaps it's a question of good manners - certainly not of enforcement by an employer.

What next? Ban alcohol because it might offend Methodists? Not slaughter a couple of cows with TB at a Hindu temple (or beasts with foot and mouth) because it might upset Hindus? It seems to me that NHS managers should have better things to do than worry about trivial matters of everyday human relationships and get on with the business of improving the NHS' track record in the UK's cancer survival rates.

I said once before (when Shambo the bull was wafted on to that Great Burger Shop in the Sky) that it's a damn good job Muslims don't revere cattle........

[Oddquine]

I wonder where you pulled that bravery from oddquine?
Agree with you all the way, just don't see me being the one to put it up there Must be the aberdonian blood:)

Is it you or me with Aberdonian blood, horseman........'cos mine is Inverness /Caithness? :D

I've thought for a long time that the MCB encourages the victim mentality of some Muslims...........and have never actually understood who actually elected it to speak for all Muslims anyway.

IMO any organisation elected only by members of other connected organisations simply represent those people committed enough to band together for whatever reason............and not the wider community who are happy to get on with life quietly and not get involved with cultural pressure groups.

[Highland Laddie]

There was a thread on here a while back with the views of Australians on it. It basically said if you don't like the way we do things here you have the right to leave just as you had the right to come here in the first place. Maybe we should take a leaf out of their book.

I agree 100%
Take us as you find us or take the next plane out.

If politicians would stop pratting around with stupidity like this and get in touch with what the people they are supposed to represent need.

Like more Doctors,Nurses,Dentists and policemen on the beat.

(flame on)