h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7633623.stm

Encouraging - very.

Hopefully it gets extended somewhat in a slightly differnt direction: I know of at least one friend who's blind who has a guide dog, and oas once refused by a Muslim cab-driver, who objected to having to carry the guys guide dog in the taxi... Which, I think is probably* strickly speaking illegal but... Not a lot he could do at the time cept wait for another cab to turn up

Are we meant to applaud when Mosques take steps to progress into the 20th Century Are women allowed into all Mosques, or only when accompanied by a blind man?

>>Are we meant to applaud when Mosques take steps to progress into the 20th Century<<

I see your point.

>>Are we meant to applaud when Mosques take steps to progress<<

Yes.

Oh hush don't spoil a good bit of news .

Certainly most Islamic 'authorities' need to grow up and learn that they are not special, and they cannot throw a tantrum over every little thing. But you can't expect people to learn to take criticism if they don't also get a bit of praise sometimes.

A mullah in a tutu, he's not strange, he just wants to live his life this way

What Q'ran says about dogs is that they are unclean because of the saliva.
From that, some interpret different things. As happened with homosexuality in the Bible. Sodoma and Gomorrah story was interpreted as despicable because of there were homosexual acts, but what it really happened was an act against hospitality.

Any sensible and sensitive creature must applaud those religious people who find despicable homophobia.

In the same way we must applaud any step towards common sense.
I think that the more developed a society is in economical and educational terms, the more open to common sense it becomes.

Until 1975,when Franco died, women in Spain couldn´t have their own current account in a bank. Also, adultery stopped being a crime. Until 1986 people couldn't get divorced. Only recently, domestic violence against women has been taken seriously and there is a law to protect them, and society is getting intolerant towards those "domestic affairs". From 2005, homosexuals have the same rights as the rest of citizens, etc.

So far the patriarcal machist point of view of Q'ran or the Bible has been dominant. There are many Islamic groups in Spain, and surely, there in UK, who want to transmit a different image of Islam. One according with nowadays.
So, yes, let's applaud and support those groups.

I find it faintly patronising when people line up to cheer religions when they (very) belatedly act in a vaguely civilised manner.

Good doggy, good doggy. Who's a clever doggy?

Civilised behaviour should be expected of all groups, not gushingly praised.

2legs>I know of at least one friend who's blind who has a guide dog, and oas once refused by a Muslim cab-driver, who objected to having to carry the guys guide dog in the taxi... Which, I think is probably* strickly speaking illegal but... Not a lot he could do at the time cept wait for another cab to turn up>

And then give his money to someone else.

I have about 5 follow up lines on this but every one will get the post yiksed.

Says a lot about this "religion" that allowing a Guide Dog into the foyer of a Mosque is considered headline news.

"civilised behaviour should be expected..."

As a teacher I expect that too, but it doesn´t appear most of the time, so I must manage to foster it.

Religion is not the problem with them, it is the people who interpret that religion. It is the economic condition that leads to an uneducational one in most of those countries. And here in Europe, it is also the need of affirming their cultural identity, which is impregned with a wrong interpretation of a religious book, against a constant denial and contempt of any thing related to Islam. So, let support those who wants to get rid of acritical and feudal traditions. We should also make the effort to know a bit more of Islamic culture. It is not all about religion!!

Man I'm impressed by the brilliance of wit and intelligence it takes to find a cynical angle to this story.

I bet blicky's fainting with the shock of the mind blowing unpredictibility of it.

Yeah - you keep cheerleading for them

BTW, you *do* know what they say about people like you in Mosques?

<>

http://womenagainstshariah.blogspot.com/2008/09/women-preachers-at-british-mosque-call.html

I think you may have missed my point.

Personally, I'm not much interested in this story. What interests me is the way different people react to it.

>>Says a lot about this "religion" that allowing a Guide Dog into the foyer of a Mosque is considered headline news.<<

Surely you know it's because all we hear is negativity about Islam, and recently about dogs in particular (the bootees for dogs searching Muslim homes). So it's considered relevant that here is a contradictory angle.

It's a bit like saying a hsop-lifter has changed just because they decide not to nick something on one certain occasion.

Can't think of another analogy.

The fact that the next day they will carry on nicking stuff doesn't really make the one flash of rationality mean that much really.

If they can not nick something on one occasion why not never steal again?

Well I'm pretty sure the mosque will continue with this policy rather than suddenly changing it. I don't think anyone can deny this is broadly positive. I see where people are coming from in saying it's not much, but it's a step in the right direction. And I can tell you there is nothing that s people off as much as a constant negative chance on things.

Another analogy (kind of - it's more of a personal recollection):

When I finished my A-levels a couple of years ago I got straight 'A's, which I was quite pleased about. And I found it so annoying that all the news says is how easy they are and by extension how stupid the pupils are and how pointless their qualifications are. No wonder the youth is disillusioned. Constant negativity gets us nowhere.

So in conclusion, I guess I stand about here:
This is good news. Islam still has a lot of problems and shariah law is repressive and conservative, and just because some people have decided it is divine, there is no reason why it should be condoned.

>>Says a lot about this "religion" that allowing a Guide Dog into the foyer of a Mosque is considered headline news.<<


This from the man who regularly uses sensationalist news headlines to introduce threads for Islam bashing

Honestly SWL, your posts here are just more of the same old. May as well take all the Muslims out and shoot them, or at least deport them. Or maybe even put them in detention centres and make them learn to think like the English (ooops, British). Because obviously any move like the one in that article is not going to be acceptable. They're damned if they do and they're damned if they don't.

I see this change as interesting because it shows how Islamic culture can change and adapt to other influences.

I'd be interested to know if the Muslim Law Council made this change in response to legal action or advice. Is it illegal in the UK to refuse to admit someone to premises because they have a guide dog?

When was the last time I started a thread on Islam Kea? Come on, you like searching, have a look. Where's this evidence that I "regularly uses sensationalist news headlines to introduce threads for Islam bashing"?

Others post threads - I comment. Is that not OK with you? Perhaps you should set up a quota system & decide how many threads I'm allowed to post on.

At least my stance is consistent. I always find it amusing that people who otherwise advocate gender equality and who can't wait to criticise Christians and/or Western Culture set all this aside when Islam is at issue. It's cultural racism - admitting that another culture cannot and should not be held to the same standards as Western culture.

laconian

It would be broadly positive if Islam decided that dogs weren't dirty at all. Until then I can;t really get excited about them deciding that stopping a Muslim going to a Mosque is more important than letting in a 'damn dirty dog'(apologies to Charlton heston)