Croydon council in south London runs separate one-and-a half-hour swimming sessions for Muslim men and women every Saturday and Sunday at Thornton Heath Leisure Centre.
Swimmers were told last week on the centre's website that
"during special Muslim sessions male costumes must cover the body from the navel to the knee and females must be covered from the neck to the ankles and wrists".
There are similar rules at Scunthorpe Leisure Centre, in North Lincolnshire... [snip]
Ian Cawsey, the Labour MP for the North Lincolnshire constituency of Brigg and Goole, said:
"I don't think that in a local authority pool I should have to wear a particular type of clothes for the benefit of someone else. That's not integration or cohesion."
"It's seen as yet another demand for special treatment. I can't see why special clothing is needed for what is [already, due to prior Muslim pressure] a single-sex session."
Muslim swimming sessions are also held at a number of state schools around the country. At Loxford School in Ilford, east London, a local Muslim group organises weekly sessions for Muslim men, with the warning that "it is compulsory for the body to be covered between the navel and the knees.
"Anyone not adhering to the dress code or rules within the pool will not be allowed to swim".
The practice of holding special Muslim swimming sessions has led to non-Muslims being turned away... [snip]
After discovering the rules at Thornton Heath one Croydon resident, 34-year-old Alex Craig, said:
"I think it is preposterous that a council should be encouraging this type of segregation over municipal facilities. Surely if Muslims want to swim then they should just turn up with their modest swimwear at the same time as everyone else."
READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment