Posted on 09/28/2007 1:04:40 AM PDT by shove_it
Okay, Muslim foot-baths in Kansas City airport, gender-segregated swimming sessions at French municipal pools, banning pork from Aussie hospital menus, no eating donuts for Belgian cops during Ramadan, no seeing-eye dogs or alcohol in Minneapolis taxi cabs, fine, fine, fine. Must be sensitive and all that.
But this is an amazing victory. In Vancouver, infidels can't smoke but Muslims can:
Vancouver's hookah-parlour owners are celebrating after winning an exemption Thursday from a proposed new bylaw that will ban smoking on most sidewalks in commercial districts, in bus shelters and even in taxis passing through Vancouver.
In giving the bylaw unanimous approval-in-principle, Vancouver city council members bowed to arguments that hookah lounges provide an important cultural space for the city's Muslims and granted them a temporary exemption...
[Emad Yacoub] said hookah lounges are essential for immigrants from hookah-smoking cultures, because it helps them deal with the depression common for newcomers and gives them places like they have at home.
Where do the rest of us go to deal with depression? As Jay Currie asks, "What about my culture?"
By creating a special exemption for Muslims - who do seem to be the only immigrant group actively demanding these sorts of “cultural accommodations” we are basically declaring our Muslim citizens worthy of special treatment and, at the same time, unworthy of the health concerns which are purported to be the basis of general smoking bans.
The state, in other words, is prepared to treat Muslims as free-born adults who can weigh the "cultural value" (ie, the pleasures) of smoking against the health risks. But not the rest of us.
Great article!
“important cultural space”
“smoking cultures”
“cultural accommodations”
CELEBRATE DIVERISTY!
I always wonder if people will go into these footwash facilities and mistake them for a new kind of urinal?
I hope I hope I hope....
I think it’s time for some enterprising North American Indians to start opening “culturally sensitive” bars where smoking is permitted :-D
Keep bending over for these people and stand by for the inevitable. All we can hope for is that they’ll use protection from STDs.
And they have the right to demand a muzzle’em doctor does their free lung cancer operations.
What is a hookah?
These accommodations to cultists from a cesspool culture are becoming intolerable.
Does anybody see a pattern emerging here?
“Does anybody see a pattern emerging here?”
___________________________________________________________
If you mean the celebration of diversity through segregation, yes.
LLS
I hope the DEA or ATF drives them mad with 'inspections' of their leaf.
“depression common for newcomers”
FYI
Puff
In doing this the smoking nazis have just admitted that the secon hand smoke argument is phoney and the only reason for smoking ban is because they don't like US doing it.
What a bunch of morons!
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