Posted on 01/14/2008 5:35:33 PM PST by Alouette
A MUSLIM store worker refused to serve a customer buying a children’s book on Christianity because she said it was “unclean”.
Shopper Sally Friday felt publicly humiliated at a branch of Marks & Spencer when she tried to pay for First Bible Stories as a gift for her young grandson.
When she put the book on the check-out counter, the young assistant refused to touch it, declared it was unclean and summoned another member of staff to serve instead.
Mrs Friday said she was so upset that she has now complained to the store’s management.
Last night politicians and religious leaders supported her in condemning the high street giant and reigniting the debate over religious beliefs in the workplace.
Conservative MP Philip Davies said the refusal to serve Mrs Friday, 69, was “unacceptable” and “damaging” to community relations.
Inayat Bunglawala, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, described the assistant’s comments as “offensive” and called for Marks & Spencer to carry out a thorough investigation.
Mrs Friday said her trip to the sales in Reading, Berks, with her daughter had been ruined.
“I went to the till and heard the girl say it was unclean and then she got someone else to serve me,” said Mrs Friday.
“At first I wasn’t sure what was going on and then I realised she was wearing a headdress and I clicked that the title of the book had Bible in it. I felt very humiliated and immediately left the store.”
Mrs Friday, from Old Basing, Hants, added: “I have given it careful thought and still feel humiliated that, because I am purchasing a children’s Bible story book, a cashier is able to object and refuse to put it through the till.
“Had this been a copy of the Koran I am confident any Christian person would be happy to do her job, and for this to happen in a Marks & Spencer of all places beggars belief.
“I am not racist but I have vowed never to let a person wearing a headdress serve me again. It will be a long, long time before I shop again at M&S.” Mr Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, west Yorkshire, said: “I find it unbelievable. We are a Christian country. I’m afraid it is no good for people to work in Marks & Spencer and not serve their products.
“For M&S to put one of their customers in that position is totally unacceptable. If a Christian lady had refused to serve a Muslim on religious grounds there would have been hell to pay.
“In fact, I am sure someone would be sacked if it had been the other way round. But that won’t happen this time, will it? These kind of things do not do anything for community cohesion. In fact, they damage it.”
Mr Bunglawala said: “This appears to be a very regrettable incident and the ‘unclean’ remark was clearly very offensive and unacceptable.
Many Biblical stories complement the teachings of the Koran. We hope that M&S will investigate this incident.” A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said an investigation was underway. “We would like to apologise to Mrs Friday for any offence this incident has caused,” he said.
“Reading is a very multicultural store and we are surprised and disappointed by this reported incident.
“It does not reflect Marks & Spencer policy and simply should not have happened.
“We will remind all staff at the Reading site of our policy and will contact Mrs Friday to apologise for her distress.”
A source close to the shop assistant claimed there had been a misunderstanding.
“I think there was some confusion over what the customer heard,” she said.
But Mrs Friday’s treatment is just the latest example of Muslim staff refusing to serve customers on religious grounds.
In October 2006, Lloyds chemist was forced to apologise to mother Jo-Ann Thomas after a Muslim pharmacist refused her a morning-after contraceptive pill on religious grounds in Rotherham.
A smoker was refused cigarettes at a Cambridge store in January last year because the Muslim shop assistant said it was against her religion to sell tobacco.
Islamic checkout staff at Sainsbury’s who refuse to sell alcohol are allowed to opt out of handling bottles and cans of drink by calling other staff to take their place.
Other staff have refused to work stacking shelves with wine, beer and spirits and have been found alternative roles in the company.
Sainsbury’s said it was keen to accommodate the religious beliefs of all its staff.
Fire this employee end of the story NEXT
Oh, I certainly would not advocate beheading muslims. No.
But I do wonder if we are too complacent and meek. And I would only suggest “acting the way muslims do” WHEN they do it to one’s face with no consequence.
Is it Christan to be humiliated and flee? No way.
But from a Christian perspective, a muslim, as we all are, is unclean. Would it be wrong to point that out after the other woman, the muslim, makes the point that she cares about being unclean? It is something the Christian community needs to answer. We are to be salt and light and running away is not doing that. The same problem is in our own society with the “political correctness” shoved down our collective throats. Has Christianity responded effectively? I do not think so. Do you?
People doing this should be given a 30 second warning to change their ways. If they don't, then fire them on the spot.
Can’t they stone her. too? Make her feel right at home, you know.
It’s so obvious how backward they are. For example, they commit adultery and then get stoned when everybody knows you get stoned FIRST - and then commit adultery.
Brought to you by the ACLU.
Heck I don’t need to run out.
If the muzzies attack a catholic church in IRE......the war will be over, in short fashion.
;-)
Fire the RagHead in a burkka, or paint all muslem books with lard before putting them on the shelf.
Its high time we returned to burning such heretics at the stake.
Good. I hope she sues them. On second thought, the result would probably be the removal of all that is Christian from the bookstore.
Mrs. Friday really said a mouthful though!
They knew exactlty what they were doing and they got away with it. You have to remember that Minneapolis and St. Paul LEO’s are forbidden by their mayors to ask anyone about their legal status. Both sanctuary cities.
No one will lose their jobs here for refusing to scan Hormel Black Label Bacon.
Stick it up her bum. Then it will be unclean.
It wasn’t the Muslims I was referring to. (And I have some friends who are Muslim.) England is lacking something else...
Get over it, lady. Jesus said this would happen--paraphrasing, "Remember when they hate you that they hated Me first." America and England are now pagan nations. Don't complain that their residents act like pagans. Try to tell them the Good News and, if they spit in your face, move on. Jesus takes care of the sanctions.
I'm glad Paul, Peter and the rest of the Apostles weren't so squishy. Even Christians are going Oprah.
Which tells you all you need to know about the relative maturity levels of the religions, and those that follow each of them.
Islam is infantile. It seem never to occur to these over grown school yard bullies that you really can't force a religious belief on anybody. They seem to care not a whit whether the masses of men with their asses in their neighbors face are really communing with Allah, only that they act like they are.
Remember the girl that was arrested for not wanting to partner up with non English speaking kids in England? I couldn’t find the link but bet its here.
***“I find it unbelievable. We are a Christian country.***
WERE a Christian country.:-(
M&S is a big chain dept. store. I’ve shopped several of them, over the years. Some of them sell food that doesn’t fit the muslim style and some of them sell liquor. Trust me.
This is just the first wave of the next attacks on western lifestyle.
Yeah. I don’t think they should choose to work there either knowing that they may have to sell the books. I also don’t think someone should become a pharmacist if they don’t want to fill every prescription.
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