Posted on 10/14/2006 3:41:13 PM PDT by Pokey78
The 2012 London Olympics have been plunged into controversy by the discovery that the Games will clash with Ramadan, the most holy month in the Islamic calendar.
The clash will put Muslim athletes at a disadvantage as they will be expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for the entire duration of the Games.
In 2012, Ramadan will take place from July 21 to August 20, while the Olympics run from July 27 to August 12.
An anticipated 3,000 Muslim competitors are expected to be affected.
About a quarter of the 11,099 athletes who took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics came from countries with predominantly Muslim populations.
Because the Muslim calendar is based on a lunar cycle, the ninth month of Ramadan - which runs from the appearance of one new crescent moon to the next - gets earlier by around 11 days each year.
The clash will be a huge embarrassment for Lord Coe, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, and London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who have been keen to ensure the Games involve all Britain's ethnic communities.
Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "They would not have organised this at Christmas. It is equally stupid to organise it at Ramadan.
"It shows a complete lack of awareness and sensitivity.
"This is going to disadvantage the athletes and alienate the Asian communities by saying they don't matter.
"It's not only going to affect the participants it's going to affect all the people who want to watch the Games.
"They won't want to travel during Ramadan and they won't want to watch sport. It's a spiritual time."
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an imam on the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said: "I'm sure the athletes will seek advice from their scholars.
"They are obviously going to be at a disadvantage because other competitors will be drinking and keeping up their energy levels.
"But they are athletes and I am sure they will train their bodies to cope with this.
"A Muslim might feel it would have been nice to avoid this month but life doesn't stop for Muslims during Ramadan even though they are fasting.
"The best thing for a Muslim is to continue his or her life as normal. This is the real test."
The British Olympic Association is now planning a meeting with the organisers of London 2012 to discuss how the timing will affect UK Muslim athletes.
And Muslim countries such as Turkey are calling for the date to be changed.
Togay Bayalti, president of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, said: "This will be difficult for Muslim athletes.
"They don't have to observe Ramadan if they are doing sport and travelling but they will have to decide whether it is important to them.
"It would be nice for the friendship of the Games if they had chosen a different date."
The International Olympics Committee insisted the Games take place some time between July 15 to August 31, giving more than a week either side of Ramadan.
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said: "We give a window to the five bid cities. The host city selects the dates within that window.
"The Games bring together virtually every religion and creed. How to deal with religious clashes is up to the athletes."
Joanna Manning Cooper, spokeswoman for London 2012, said: "We did know about it when we submitted our bid and we have always believed we could find ways to accommodate it.
"We had lots of things to consider when we submitted our dates, including the fact that transport will be less crowded in the summer holiday.
"We also need 70,000 volunteers and this is the best time to find them.
"We are working with the Muslim Council of Great Britain to find ways to accommodate Ramadan during the London Games."
Maybe it would cool their anger if the Olympic Committee put "bombings, beheadings and the slaughter of innocents" in the games as a sport. The muslims might actually win a medal.
England may well be a lost cause. I'm concerned we're drifting the same way on the "sea of political correctness."
Allah-FUBAR!
Olympics are Haraam! All those hirsute eastern european beauties should be made to chuck the shot-put in Burkha!
And will someone please cover up Michael Phelps's butt? All that speedo action can tempt people. Haraam.
The convening of the haraam olympics during radaman is an obviou effort to prevent the otherwise usually victorious islamic atheletes from winning what is deservedly theirs.
I heard the same story just yesterday. The only saving grace is that some in the UK ARE getting fed up, and some, like Jack Straw ARE sticking to their guns (pathetically, over stuff that shouldn't be issues at all), like requiring that women remove some of those headcoverings when they came to his office,(presumably to complain and demand). I think the majority of UK Muslims are being used as political pawns for the advancement of the CAIR-types who have infiltrated British politics. But the longer they allolw themselves to be so manipulated, the less it matters, and the more they become emotionally melded to their political "spokesmen". I don't know why ANY of them are needed there, but there IS no solution for the Brits unless and until they deport them, and find their way back to reconstituting the identity of what it means to be English that they have abandoned.
"You nailed it!"
Funny, I can't remember this complaint happening before 9/11, just like I don't remember seeing so many Muslim women wearing the veil in my neighborhood before then.
Coincidence? I think not.
Cult of Perpetual Outrage ping
I am so sick of Muslims.
Let them go to some jihadistan and have TROP Olympics..
Damn these people! Their idea of celebrating their "holy month" is to go out and cut heads off!
Expel!
This reminds me of the other story of the english teacher in the UK that insists on wearing a veil even though the Muslim Council there said it is not required in the presence of children. I guess they just want more victim status.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1719439/posts
Try getting a muslim nation to reschedule something in order to be sensitive to Easter or Passover. It ain't gonna' happen.
Hypocrites! Dry me a lizard (cry me a river).
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Maybe they could make those a new Olympic event? Some type of triathlon? They seem to do those just fine while fasting.
Actually, women are supposed to be excused for menstruation. But that poor girl was stoned anyway. Women get ero slack in a culture where men love only their camels.
You know, I feel so badly about this that I think the U.S. team should cater special fast-breaking meals for the Muslim athletes. How's barbecued pork ribs sound?
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Well, since every day of the year will pretty soon be "I hate Muslims" day for most people, it's hard to see how the scheduling conflict can be resolved.
Oh no, the Muslims are angry again!
So true, so true. With Ramadan months out of the way, who can forget the Saudi hockey team, which has dominated world competition for four decades? The only thing to interrupt their domination was the famous "Miracle on Ice" when Team USA defeated the Saudis in an upset which is still the subject of at least 3 fatwas to this day. And of course who can forget those Iranian bobsleders? Nobody has been able to touch the Iranians, indeed, ancient Perisa was well known for producing talented sledders; not to mention luge and skelelton talent.
Ramadan is clashing with my Olympics? Oh, I'm pissed. I think I'll riot.
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