Muslims Forced-To-Leave Christmas-Market.....

[trt]

Why the fuss, you couldn't have a Christmas/Religious stall at a market in Saudi Arabia!

http://metro.co.uk/2016/12/03/muslims-forced-to-leave-christmas-market-after-setting-up-islam-information-stand-6298753/

[anneasquith]

Have to say, that stall in a the photograph looks very menacing. :-)

[-Talbot-]

TheChair
// I do not want the opportunity to "better understand" that pernicious religion //

I thinks that sums up the extreme right-wing pretty well - "What we don't know, we don't want to know, and what we don't understand, we don't want to understand: but we expect everyone to listen to our proudly ignorance-based opinions".



Can you explain that to me, TheChair ... because what you have written sounds like claptrap to me

[vetuste_ennemi]

I asked first. Please take your turn in the queue, Talbot.

[B00]

"Have to say, that stall in a the photograph looks very menacing. :-)"

I know, right? You'd think they'd put up some twinkly lights and a mini Christmas tree!

in all seriousness though, I have to agree with NJ, I wouldn't feel comfortable coming upon that stall at a Christmas Fair, I would feel that it looks out of place and shouldn't be there.

[EDDIE51]

Any religion other than Islam is actually against the law in Saudi Arabia so the comparison can never be made.

[andy-hughes]

EDDIE51 - //Any religion other than Islam is actually against the law in Saudi Arabia so the comparison can never be made. //

The 'ban' is nominal - western cultural practices such as drinking alcohol and eating pork are permitted in western areas, as long as they are done discreetly, but there are still allowances made for western immigrants and migrant workers. Most Christians worship at home.

[EDDIE51]

^^ Yes, I lived 3 years in Saudi. There are 'moral' groups in the expat oil workers community, these are houses with a small church inside. Alcohol is totally banned even for expats.Even trying to get a can of beer through customs is a flogging offence. My next door neighbour got 6 months jail and 1500 lashes for trying to distill his own alcohol. No religious text or images other than Islam are permitted.

[237SJ]

I don`t know what the fuss is about. I have seen a couple of these type of stands recently - the latest was right outside of the christmas windows at Selfridges and the blurb on the front of it was that Islam recognises Jesus (I knew that anyway). I think they are trying to put the other side and show that not all Muslims are terrorists. It seems they are damned if they do and damned if they don`t.

[Gromit]

Aged Germans are intolerant. Nothing new to see here, move along.

[-Talbot-]

How many aged Germans do you know Gromit?

[New Judge]

"The 'ban' is nominal - western cultural practices such as drinking alcohol and eating pork are permitted in western areas, as long as they are done discreetly,..."

For heavens' sake, Andy. Explain to me why anybody should have to swill a pint of beer of eat a bacon sarnie "discreetly" !!!

[jourdain2]

Please, it is an incursion into a Western celebration of a very important Christian festival. It is a commercialised event, I agree, but to many people it is a part of their Christmas celebrations. A lot of these (possibly most?) will find this stall offensive at this place and time. Insensitive at the best. A Christian stall at an Eid festival would not be welcome. To live together in harmony each side must not stamp on the other's toes. I have an instinctive 'No, this is wrong' reaction and I hope it does not happen again.

[Ellipsis]

Listen, when I go to a Christmas market what I want is a Bratwurst, a Glühwein, some oompah music and some tat to shop for. Ideally a bit of snow. Leave the religion out of it, please. OK, maybe a few carols ... Stille Nacht, perhaps.

As for what's allowed in Saudi Arabia ... what's that got to do with anything? Western Europe does not model itself on Saudi Arabia. We'd like the opposite to be the case, wouldn't we?

[Khandro]

The indigenous population of Germany is still Christian, and though Christmas markets, like all markets, have a commercial element (that's what markets are for) the whole ethos is about Christmas and Christianity as anyone who has ever visited one could see, -market locations are always close by the church and these Muslim w.nk.rs have aggressively and purposely set up a stall in the midst of this Christian festival to purvey their absurd wares and nothing is more absurd than the Koran which they attempted to peddle on their stall that not only denigrates Christianity itself, but clearly states the wish to overthrow it and replace it by Islam.
I think it was their pre-considered intent to be dismissed in order to theatrically attempt show how 'unfairly' treated they are. It is tiresome, boring and simple-minded, thankfully people are beginning to wake up to this deviousness.

[New Judge]

Yes, a very straightforward point of view, jourdain. But just look at some of the answers above which seem to provide support for the Muslims' action.

Nobody has yet provided a satisfactory response explaining how a stall providing information aimed at a "better understanding" of Christianity would be received at an Eid festival. Nobody has suggested that Muslims could simply walk on by, ignoring the stall. But I suppose that's different.

The short explanation is that this stall is totally out of place, totally inappropriate and totally crass. The long answer is that this stall is totally out of place, totally inappropriate and totally crass.

[Togo]

//Most Christians worship at home// Why ah? Is it because as Eddie says...
//Any religion other than Islam is actually against the law in Saudi Arabia//

[fiction-factory]

Khandro - I think referring to them as "these Muslim w.nk.rs " is unacceptable .
NJ- the stall may have been inappropriate and insensitive - or it may have been an ill-advised perhaps attempt to integrate/inform- but we really need to ask the organisers whether/why they allowed it and whether they took the stall holder's money. It shouldn't be up to locals to take matters into their own hands. Surely ignoring them is the best way to deal with it if it thought to be crass and inappropriate

[237SJ]

Andy-hughes "such as drinking alcohol and eating pork are permitted in western areas" I agree with the booze part of it but as far as eating pork is concerned I`m sorry but you are wrong there.

[237SJ]

Having said that, the drinking of booze isn`t acceptable. It goes on and the authorities know it goes on but you will still be punished if you are caught doing it.

[Togo]

//Surely ignoring them is the best way //

I'm sure we have tried "ignoring" them. Guess what.... they become emboldened. So maybe the time has arrived to show the implacable NO. Not here. Go back where you are settled in your ways and customs. We will do the same. The more we give the more will be taken , until the fight to retrieve what is ours becomes truly seismic. Perhaps the hand wringers will volunteer when it gets heavy...... or blame the blameless ,just like they always do. Never of course looking at their own contribution to the conflict that they cause in the guise of intellectual masturbation.