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Please take a moment to visit and log in at the subscriber area, and submit your city & country location. We will use this information in future to invite you to any events that we organize in your area. Islamic Dress and No-Win Situationsby David J. Rusin • Jun 25, 2010 at 10:24 am http://www.islamist-watch.org/blog/2010/06/islamic-dress-and-no-win-situations
Accommodation of Islamic norms must be weighed against the cost. On the societal level, granting Muslims special privileges comes at the price of not just equality, but also cultural integrity. The tradeoffs can be more personal and immediate on smaller scales. Consider this no-win scenario: A business owner fears that permitting Islamic garb at his establishment might leave the wearer susceptible to injury. Faced with a covered client, he has to choose between a pair of harrowing options: decline to apply the proper dress code and risk being accused of negligence, or enforce it and risk being accused of discrimination. Two stories about Australian amusement parks demonstrate that dilemmas of this type can be all too real. In April, a Muslim woman was killed at Port Stephens Go-Karts when her head covering got snagged by the axle of her moving vehicle. IW commented at the time:
The facility was ordered to close soon afterward, which seemingly proves that "safety first" is always a wise business mantra, even if the necessary regulations could offend Muslims. However, a second story shows why some are tempted to place Muslim feelings first. Perth's Adventure World recently agreed to pay $16,000 and apologize to a Muslim woman who accused the park of discrimination and humiliation. Specifically, she and her entourage were denied access to water slides last year because "their three-quarter-length pants and their long shirts" had been deemed inappropriate, a hazard not only to others — an argument often made with respect to Islamic attire in swimming pools — but also to themselves:
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Yet it is important to recognize the true source of such dilemmas: governments, courts, and media that exhibit ridiculous degrees of deference to Muslim sensitivities and thus encourage discrimination complaints. The recipe for avoiding no-win scenarios is clear. In every facet of public life, adopt and administer a regime of equal rights for all and special privileges for none. Under this paradigm, Islamic dress may be tolerated, but only if it does not negatively impact security, education, legal proceedings, or other fundamental concerns — like the ability to survive a go-kart or water ride. Related Topics: Athletics, Head Coverings / Dress, Legal, Multiculturalism, Swimming Pools, Workplace David J. Rusin This text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL. | |||
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Saturday, June 26, 2010
Blog: Islamic Dress and No-Win Situations
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