Racial Equality in Reverse !
......That's a bit like the time I got a form from The Commission for Racial Equality.
I was home on holiday from Jeddah (c.1979) where Ramadan was in full swing. Now, nobody misunderstand this post because I really loved living in Jeddah and like a good ex-pat I adhered to all their rules and regulations etc. and accepted that as a Western woman I came 4th or 5th down the line in the pecking order of life.
I was at the London Hilton with friends after a night out on the Town, and it was about 3.00 a.m. We were all feeling a bit peckish so I rang Room Service to order some tea and sandwiches.
The voice on the other end of the phone took the order but then added: "You will have to wait quite a while because it's Ramadan and we have a number of Muslims staying here".
I WENT APE !!!!!!
I had been more than happy doing it the Islamic way when in Jeddah, but this was in MY country!
I left the hotel, via reception, where I ranted at the night porter until my taxi arrived, bored the taxi driver rigid with the story all the way home and at about 4.30 a.m. I even rang The Daily Mail News desk!
I was incensed! Actually the Commission for Racial Equality - who agreed I had been discriminated against in my own country! - took me seriously enough to send me a form to fill in! To this day I still wonder if I should have sent that form off. :D
Has anyone else had a similar experience happen to them - i.e. Being treated as second class in their own country?
Hamlet..just because some one indulges in the meals of ramadan and smoking sheesha....whilst others join their christian friends in christmas..to me that just shows that some people are respecting others and their religion..it doesnt mean that they have to let go of their beliefs..actually its great to see that, rather than being critical of their religion..they r trying to understand others and their beliefs.....i dont see where the problems is? Live and let live i say...
As a muslim..during ramadan...we always have my sister in laws who are non-muslims join us in our feasts and celebrations and their children and we always wish them a very merry christmas....That the beauty of this..that there is diversity in this world and why should we "box" everyone into one group ...reliously or not...
BTW..Merry Xmas jauntie in advance....
Jauntie
I myself celebrate Christmas with my immediate neighbours every year and they are always delighted to be invited and bring the kids to see the Christmas tree and I give them small presents just a symbolic thing really what we all enjoy is the good conversation and the exchange of views and traditions and the food. I have hindu and moslem neighbours.
Likewise they invite me to join with them in Ramadan which I also find interesting. Last year a group from Qatar Foundation invited a great many foreingners to join in one day of fasting and this group was spsonsored by some companies. They had a great turn out and in the evening they organised a buffet for us all. I enjoyed it very much and as there are no breaks and no food at work I didn't have trouble to overcome the fasting day. My moslem neighbours even deliver food for us during Ramadan.
In the end we all believe in the same god just in a different way.
I came from a catholic family myself.
My view of the incident is that the person taking you order was not very diplomatic in the way he responded and that you should have explained to the Manager.
Jauntie you said it yourself..... "Historically" and thank god it is so, other wise we would have been still living in the age where women were burnt on stakes for church hocus pocus and innocent queens beheaded for adultery accusations. As for these religious feasts, whether Christian or Islamic, they are increasingly loosing their hardcore content and turning into feasts for everyone, my Christian friends indulge in the meals of Ramadan and smoking "shesha" while I light up a Christmas tree every year....which make it a holiday for everyone...It is only a matter of time till we get post all this religious dogma, and no one can reverse that….thanks to god!
PM me when you come back. Just one? lol
May the roof above us never fall in, and may the friends below never fall out!
... I will 'deal' with you when I see you!! ;o)
We still on for that pint in The Library?
I think you should excuse yourself for a day or two off QL lol. see you back in Doha soon!
May the roof above us never fall in, and may the friends below never fall out!
I'm sorry for how Egyptians feel, but I'm also sorry you can't indulge a silly, middle aged woman who considers that her homeland is still, historically, Christian.
Not Buddhist, not Islamic, not Zen, not Catholic, not Zionist, not Hindu ..... Christian!
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England. The Church created by Henry VIII after the Act of Supremacy in 1534. It is similar to the Catholic Church, but has the monarch, not the pope, as its head.
Maybe half the nation, or more, aren't interested in religion but that doesn't alter the fact that the Church of England, or Anglican Church, is the "established" church of the nation.
And I certainly will NOT refer to Christmas as just 'a holiday'.
Christmas is the feast day (festival) commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, thus the word 'Christmas' (literally, the Mass of Christ). It is the day in the Christian calendar which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.
It's not just 'any old holiday' it MEANS something! I'm not quite sure but I think it's second only to Easter in the Christian calender when it comes to the essence of Christianity!
You said "Also Christmas is not and updated name, it’s named the holidays now, and it is for everyone not only the Christians".
So tell me, how are non-Christians celebrating Christmas - by going to Church on Christmas Day? I think not.
OK, so maybe I'm old fashioned, but it's very important to me that my childhood memories, of nativities and midnight masses and all the magic that Christmas held, aren't completely dashed by the politically correct ideologies of today's world.
I really DO need to chill. For some reason all my Catholic pores (which I didn't think I still had) are now open and weeping :o/
My cousin is a firefighter by trade and he can't get a job in Canada (and he has been told this numerous times) because he is not a minority or female, and the Public Service must fill it's quotas of minorities and women.
"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco
Who said that Christianity is the national religion in Britain!!!, in a poll conducted few months ago in the UK, 86% of the respondents declared that they believe that religion do more harm than good! And just because Islamic countries are fundamental and retarded, it doesn't give the Christians the right to impose themselves as the representatives of the liberal democratic west, (given also that practicing Christians are a minority, especially in Europe). Also Christmas is not and updated name, it’s named the holidays now, and it is for everyone not only the Christians. As for you question about being treated as a second class in your native country, rest assured that this is how 70 millions Egyptian feel on daily basis in every aspect of their poor miserable lives in Egypt :(
I would have bashed the teller over the head with a tinny and pushed his head down the dunny! ;o)
But I know what you are saying - we are living in sad days right now. Not that history doesn't repeat itself, cos it does, but unfortunately no-one ever seems to learn from it.
Depends what u call racial equality in reverse...
Consider an Australian citizen who was born in Australia and considers Australia their own country , however is also a muslim and wears hijab...to be told by a bank teller that if u wanna practise ur religion go back to ur country..considering they were born in Australia (and really who does australia belong to anyway)and it is their country? Where are they supposed to go to...hmmmmm...
on my part, which surprised even ME!
CYman, you are right, the problem was with the Room Service guy who told me I had to stand aside and wait until others were served first due to their religious beliefs. But you will understand that when I was in Jeddah, in those days, I couldn't even attend a church in an Islamic country in order to fulfil my OWN beliefs and here I was in London yet again coming in second in a country where the national religion is based on Christianity.
However, that said, I was almost 30 years younger then, CYman! I expect I reacted differently than I would now.
OK I guess 'Racially discriminated' against was the wrong title and I should just have said 'discriminated' against because the Hotel was prejudiced towards another group on religious grounds. In fact quite simply 'bloody annoyed' may have been a better description!
Best not to start me on the fact that some of our schools here are advised NOT to put on Nativity Plays at Christmas in case it upsets the children of other religious communities in the UK.
Think I'd better 'chill' - I'm obviously getting withdrawal symptoms and need to get back to Doha! xx
they just happened to order before you did so you had to wait. Same would have happened if instead of Muslims it was a group of English or Scottish who got in the hotel starving after boozing and ordeed before you did. The guy was wrong mentioning that it was due to the specific reason. He should have told you that your order is in queue and will delay somehow. But anyway, nothing racist.
Would you react the same way if this same thing happens during next Ramadan?
May the roof above us never fall in, and may the friends below never fall out!
Jauntie - I think the guy who answered the phone meant that the staff were busy catering to all those moslems at that time of the day. Which means they were inundated with food orders.
The bloke answering the phone should have simply said that they were busy at that hour (which was true) and your order would have to wait.
How is that racial discrimination? I don't understand.
Whats ur point? The equation is not balanced
hi jauntie..
listen to this.
in month of ramadan, we fast from morn till evening..
measn almost for 13 hours, we fast. we dont eat or drink anything..not even water. u might be aware of that since u were living in jeddah
during ramadan, we wake up early morning. around 3 am and have food beofe the fajr prayer.After the call for fajr prayer has started, we cannot eat or drink anyhting. the fasting starts.
i think u called in when they wer busy preparing food for muslims who cant eat food if they get late.
we eat food just few minutes before the fajr prayer. which means that if the food was delivered five minutes later, they wont be able to finish the food before the prayer.which means that they will have to fast for 13 hours wihout having food.
hope u understood the explanation. but a good hotel should have enough staffs to cater everyone at the same time
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