SWALLOWING WATER & RAMADAN SWIMMING ALERT

Tinky Winky goes swimming..

The National Secular Society President Terry Sanderson has poured cold water on a daft suggestion by Stoke-on-Trent City Council that swimming lessons at some Staffordshire schools should be halted during Ramadan to ensure Muslim pupils “do not swallow water”.

The Council, has issued an 11-page Ramadan guide for schools to help pupils who may be fasting when the school year starts in September. Sanderson slammed the guidance as “out of proportion”.

Surely it should be possible for Muslim pupils to be withdrawn from those elements of the school day that they don’t want to participate in without imposing these restrictions on everybody, Muslim or not.

It is wrong that everyone in schools should be forced to observe Islamic laws when they may have no meaning for them. Rearranging the whole school routine for a whole month to satisfy the religious needs of a few is totally out of proportion.

The Council said swimming was acceptable to Muslims but posed a high risk of swallowing water that may break a fast. Islam requires Muslims to fast from dawn until dusk for one month per year. The council guide states:

Schools with a significant number of Muslim pupils should try to avoid scheduling swimming lessons during Ramadan to remove unnecessary barriers to full participation.

It also suggests re-scheduling sex education classes during the holy lunar month, as Muslim followers who have reached puberty are required to avoid sexual thoughts during this period.

The National Front also says that this guidance is out of proportion and we do not see why British White Christian pupils should be affected by an alien religion and its observance.

If Muslim children don't want to swim then don’t swim it is that simple. They’re not swimming is as different as the Islamic clothing that they wear, different to western Christian clothing, that is and that is that.

All children have a duty to follow the curriculum that is set out for them, if any particular group wishes to remove themselves from it; surely it is up to them to write to the headmaster to seek permission to not take part.

However the majority of the school children must not lose out on their physical exercise unless they too have a letter or are unwell.

Tom linden (NF Press and Publicity)

How utterly ridiculous is this bollox in the 21st century FFS...

Pip pip