A SCHOOL was yesterday accused of MAKING teachers dress up as Asians for a day

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article407311.ece

Teachers' Muslim dress order

By ANDREW PARKER

Published: Today


A SCHOOL was yesterday accused of MAKING teachers dress up as Asians for a day  to celebrate a Muslim festival.

Kids at the 257-pupil primary have also been told to don ethnic garb even though most are Christians.

The morning assembly will be open to all parents  but dads are BARRED from a women-only party in the afternoon because Muslim husbands object to wives mixing with other men.

Just two members of staff  a part-time teacher and a teaching assistant  are Muslim.

Embrace

Yesterday a relative of one of the 39 others said: Staff have got to go along with it  or lets face it, they would be branded racist.

Who would put their job on the line? They have been told they have to embrace the day to show their diversity. But they are not all happy.

The day aims to belatedly mark Eid, the end of Ramadan.

Sally Bloomer, head of Rufford primary school in Lye, West Midlands, insisted: I have not heard of any complaints.

Its all part of a diversity project to promote multi-culturalism.

[Bigjake]

Gag me....

Waiting for comrad shootinstudent to show up and explain how this is a good thing we all must embrace. 

[De Selby]

It's not really clear what happened-the article is big on hype and short on facts.

I don't see any reason why a private school should be prohibited from celebrating whatever holiday it wants-if they don't like it, they don't have to work there, and if the parents don't like it, they don't have to send their kids there. 

[Perd Hapley]

shooter, it doesn't always come down to legalities.  I don't see anyone asking for this to be prohibited by law.  (Unless you're reading the comments on the link.)  Of course, I also don't see any indication whether the school is govt.-funded or not. 

All that aside, do you mind if some people disapprove of what the school does?  How do you feel about it? 

[De Selby]

All that aside, do you mind if some people disapprove of what the school does?  How do you feel about it? 

Of course they can disapprove-what I was responding to was the allegation that this was somehow forced upon a hapless crowd that has no choice but to "embrace multiculturalism."  The attempt in the article to connect the activities of a private group with no power to compel behavior from others to a giant plot to force everyone to be Muslim, or to accept other cultures, is pure hype.

Personally, I think it's a good thing that the school had a day like this.  I support respect and recognition for all religious holidays.  Complaining about an Eid celebration like this one is every bit as absurd, in my view, as the atheists who claim that they're undergoing forced Christianization because of a school Christmas party or an Easter breakfast event.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

The children didn't have a choice.

[De Selby]

The children didn't have a choice.

They shouldn't have had a choice either-their parents make the decisions about what they do and don't learn. 

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

You're telling me you'd be OK with your child's school having mandatory religious dress up days?

[De Selby]

You're telling me you'd be OK with your child's school having mandatory religious dress up days?

I believe that's what I just said-having a Christmas theme day, where the kids learn about Christmas, is not any worse than this.  As long as the mission is for them to learn about what the other faith teaches and what members of that faith traditionally do (as opposed to actual religious participation), I have absolutely zero complaint. 

There are dress up days to learn about ancient Rome, medieval Europe, and so on just as well. This is no different. 

[Euclidean]

A very sketchy news story, but part of the reason I'd send my children to private school if I did such a thing or had children would be to avoid such influences.  I'd be an angry consumer if I were paying for this, and the school would either placate me or lose tuition.

[CAnnoneer]

There is an easy solution - privatize schooling. If people are forced to pay taxes that support public schools while they have to send their kids to private schools, then they are being forced to pay for a service they do not receive. Let's see how many people are willing or able to pay for the indoctrination centers then. Oh, that would be a load of fun to watch!

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Couldn't agree more.

[De Selby]

There is an easy solution - privatize schooling. If people are forced to pay taxes that support public schools while they have to send their kids to private schools, then they are being forced to pay for a service they do not receive. Let's see how many people are willing or able to pay for the indoctrination centers then. Oh, that would be a load of fun to watch!

Yeah, just like they refuse to pay for Catholic schools-because they don't want their kids getting that religious message?

[mfree]

We should press to have them make all dress as Hasidics Jews when Hanukkah starts. It's only fair, right?

Right?

Or is this not really about "diversity" at all?

[Joe Demko]

You all did note that the story is from the UK?

[mfree]

Yes, yes I did.

[Ex-MA Hole]

We should press to have them make all dress as Hasidics Jews when Hanukkah starts. It's only fair, right?

Right?

Or is this not really about "diversity" at all?

Well played.

[charby]

We should press to have them make all dress as Hasidics Jews when Hanukkah starts. It's only fair, right?

Right?

Or is this not really about "diversity" at all?

Well played.

I haven't figured out this yet, if the oppressed group can segregate sexes based upon religion/culture and be supported by the liberal folks, why do they throw a fit if non oppressed group wanted to have a men's only club or something like that.

I'm using oppressed lightly.

Also what is going to happen when the Latinos do get a strong hold on this country with their male dominated society? What about if the Muslim religion does also? Are they going to be coddled by the liberals and will the liberals look away when the women are oppressed by current society standards?

[CAnnoneer]

charby, that is the beautiful irony of it all. The only reason why multiculturalism can survive is because its host culture is tolerant. But, multiculturalism opens the doors to other, less tolerant cultures, thereby killing its host. It acts like a parasyte, and a stupid one at that.

[Strings]

Cool! Can we also have a celtic dress-up-day? I can think of several people* I'd like to see in nothing but blue paint...


*and no, I will NOT mention any names, as those on the list can easily kill me

[HankB]

A SCHOOL was yesterday accused of MAKING teachers dress up as Asians for a day . . .

Cossacks, Mandarins, and Samurai qualify as Asians, as do Buddhist and Shao-Lin monks, Mongols, and Brahmins. 

[De Selby]

We should press to have them make all dress as Hasidics Jews when Hanukkah starts. It's only fair, right?

Right?

Or is this not really about "diversity" at all?

Actually, yes-if there were a unit on learning about Jews and Judaism, and part of that was learning about what Jews traditionally wear and what their holidays are, I'd say that's a good thing.  I'd also be highly suspicious of parents who became outraged at the school "forcing kids to accept Jews and the Jewish agenda"-in that context I think more people would rightly be suspicious as to what the real motivations for parental fears were.

[De Selby]

I haven't figured out this yet, if the oppressed group can segregate sexes based upon religion/culture and be supported by the liberal folks, why do they throw a fit if non oppressed group wanted to have a men's only club or something like that.

I'm using oppressed lightly.

I don't think that having a "learn about Muslims" day on Eid constitutes support for gender separation, anymore than a learn about the Indians or the colonial times would constitute support for slavery or wiping out Indians.

Also what is going to happen when the Latinos do get a strong hold on this country with their male dominated society? What about if the Muslim religion does also? Are they going to be coddled by the liberals and will the liberals look away when the women are oppressed by current society standards?

There are all kinds of "what ifs" in this world-my rule for worrying about them is to prioritize "what-ifs" that are at least somewhere near possible.  The idea that there will be a "Muslim strong hold" on the UK or the US any time in the foreseeable future is fantasy. 

I know of no liberals who want to change gender equality laws in either the UK or the US because of Muslims.  A school having an Eid celebration has nothing to do with liberals and Muslims getting along (which they don't-Muslims overwhelmingly voted for GW Bush...but that's another story.)

[Len Budney]

I think we abuse the verb "to force" way too much in this country. Speaking your views is "forcing them on us." Putting an activity in the curriculum is "forcing" people to do this or that. Offering "biggie sizes" on the menu is "forcing" them to eat. Bleah.

I guess you could call it "force" if the public schools do it, because attendance is more or less compulsory. But private schools? The curriculum is what it is. Don't like it? Say so. Still not satisfied? Vote with your wallet. Until someone with a gun gets involved (blue uniform optional), "force" has nothing to do with it.

--Len.

[jamz]

I was pretty schoked about this, until I saw that it was in the UK.  That place has just given up.