NationStates Jolt Archive

Who said political correctness isn't harmfull? A Norwegian school has told a teacher not to wear a small star of David pendant because it offends Muslim students. WTF? So now people can't display their religion because it might offend Muslims?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3152397,00.html

School head bans Jewish symbol 'for fear of provoking Muslim students'; teacher hires lawyers, vows to fight back

So, they're giving in to these peoples' intolerance? If anything, the anti-Semitic Muslims at that school who want to impose their will through intimidation and fear on everyone are the real problem. I'm much more worried that people are giving in to these bigots than standing up for religious freedom.

"The Star of David would be a symbol for one side in what is perhaps the world's most inflamed conflict at the moment."

WTF? The Israelis are the only ones who are causing the problems over there? If their rationale for this is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, they should also ban symbols of Islam to prevent offending Jewish students.

This is like the tie pins wth the Flag of St. George (English flag) on being banned for prison wardens because it'll upset muslim prisoners...

If one religion can do all of it's stuff and stop others doing theirs then it's not =Equal= rights to freedom of religion.

Anyway, Islam isn't the biggest religion in norway or england. I'm not going to apologise, this is a racist statement, but it seems a lot of muslim youths i've met play the race card all the time to get what they want. It's becoming a problem that only white people can be racist, like women almost never get sued for sexism, only men.

It is true. it needs to be stopped. politicians must stop being afraid of being accused of racism, and the accusations will stop.

This is exactly why I hate political correctness - props to the teacher for fighting back!

Bah. The Jewish majority in a town I lived in Florida banned Christian Symbols and any mention of Chrisman from the schools. People suck, period.

Bah. The Jewish majority in a town I lived in Florida banned Christian Symbols and any mention of Chrisman from the schools. People suck, period.But did they go as far as preventing faculty from wearing crucifixes?

Why can't we all just *sniff* get along?

But did they go as far as preventing faculty from wearing crucifixes?
No, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have gone over well.

Bah. The Jewish majority in a town I lived in Florida banned Christian Symbols and any mention of Chrisman from the schools. People suck, period.
They probably banned the school putting up christian symbols, and the school itself making mentions of christian stuff. That is actually proper, there is a seperation between church and state. A public school should not put up a religious christmas display any more than they should put up a manorah for hanukah.

They probably did not ban the right of students and faculty to wear crucifix. I don't care if individuals express religious stuff, I would have a problem if the public school was doing it.

The case in Norway represents an interesting problem. I don't think there is anything wrong with what the teacher was wearing (and I did not see any evidence in the article to suggest that Palestinian students had complained), but it seems that this is a private continuing education school, not a public school. That means they have more freedom in their controls over expression.

:rolleyes: Crazy Norwegians.

Honestly though, since when did Norway become an Islamic state? I wear my Star of David necklace every day and my school has a significant Muslim population - nothing has EVER happened. If anything, the school itself is being prejudice towards both religions.

They probably banned the school putting up chritstain symbols, and the school itself making mentions of christain stuff. That is actually proper, there is a seperation between church and state. A public school chould not put up a religious christmas display any more than they should put up a manorah for hanukah.
That would make sense, if the schools hadn’t put up menorahs and taught about Jewish holidays!

Why can't we all just *sniff* get along?
Not when radical subsets of the of this particular "offended" group tend to blow up your children when they don't get their way.... :headbang:

That would make sense, if the schools hadn’t put up menorahs and taught about Jewish holidays!
I am Jewish myself. I feel that what the community you are talking about did (if that is what happened, which is possible since all groups of people have their idiots), that it was wrong. They should not be putting up menorahs. It is ok to teach about Jewish holidays, but only if you also teach about christian and possibly some other major religion's holidays and beliefs.

I don't think there is anything wrong with teaching about other's cultures and beliefs, I feel it encourages pluralism and tolerance. My problem would be if it was doing just one, or promoting one a lot more than the others. It sounds like that is what has happened at the school you are talking about, and it is therefore wrong.

I do have one final question. Was that a public or a private school?

Even assuming that what you say is true, would that really justify banning the personal use of a religious symbol? If he'd attacked the other student with a pencil would the school ban those? Also it's a faculty member who's been told not to wear it. Unless the faculty member attacked someone with a Ninja star of David I don't see why she shouldn't be allowed to wear one.

For some reason, I'd also be worried about stiletto crucifixes.

Another one of those famous pretend stories?

Another one of those famous pretend stories?
on tha nose, ma brutha






maybe i oughta take my meds now

Have fun being complacent Norway. Maybe other countries should take a cue from the Philippines in how to deal with the global muslim problem. :)

Have fun being complacent Norway. Maybe other countries should take a cue from the Philippines in how to deal with the global muslim problem. :)
"Muslim problem?" Like the "Jewish problem?" What are they doing over there, anyway?

"Muslim problem?" Like the "Jewish problem?" What are they doing over there, anyway?
I don't know about the jews, they don't suddenly start a campaign of terror in order to secede from the country.

Basically any insurgent they find, they kill.

I don't know about the jews, they don't suddenly start a campaign of terror in order to secede from the country.

Basically any insurgent they find, they kill.
Watcha talkin' bout?

I don't know about the jews, they don't suddenly start a campaign of terror in order to secede from the country.

Basically any insurgent they find, they kill.
that's a terrorist problem, not a muslim problem :/

Watcha talkin' bout?
He's talking about Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

He's talking about Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
What do they do, anyway? what kinds of attacks?

Edit: MILF looks more like just violent criminals than terrorists, from what I'm reading

but lol @ "MILF"

What do they do, anyway? what kinds of attacks?
Some bombings, chopping the head off of the occasional tourist or missionary, sometimes attacking christian villages. Stuff like that.

but lol @ "MILF"

I just saw that. Rather contradictory, don't you think? :fluffle:

What do they do, anyway? what kinds of attacks?
It's a long list.

Carbombings, home invasions leading to executions, kidnapping for either financial (sometimes both) political gain, major military movements seizing tribal villages and forcing sharia law upon them. Creating village networks. I personally was involved in the seizures of more than 100 RPG-2 launchers and the equipment used to craft them in hut and shacks on jungle patrol, mortar attacks on civillians and soldiers, Aby Sayyaf gets support from various global terror groups and organizations, maritime piracy (I kid you not, it's a big problem here) which leads to death of commercial and tourist operators, weapons smuggling and drug running. Phew.

At one point Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a daugther of some sultanate or another. He paid big bucks to get her back.

It's a long list.

Carbombings, home invasions leading to executions, kidnapping for either financial (sometimes both) political gain, major military movements seizing tribal villages and forcing sharia law upon them. Creating village networks. I personally was involved in the seizures of more than 100 RPG-2 launchers and the equipment used to craft them in hut and shacks on jungle patrol, mortar attacks on civillians and soldiers, Aby Sayyaf gets support from various global terror groups and organizations, maritime piracy (I kid you not, it's a big problem here) which leads to death of commercial and tourist operators, weapons smuggling and drug running. Phew.

At one point Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a daugther of some sultanate or another. He paid big bucks to get her back.
Hey Skyfork, are you Fillipino? Do you practice any Fillipino martial arts? I used to study Kali (Dan Inosanto's technique plus some of the late Edgar Sulite's LAMECO method)

I am Jewish myself. I feel that what the community you are talking about did (if that is what happened, which is possible since all groups of people have their idiots), that it was wrong. They should not be putting up menorahs. It is ok to teach about Jewish holidays, but only if you also teach about christian and possibly some other major religion's holidays and beliefs.

I don't think there is anything wrong with teaching about other's cultures and beliefs, I feel it encourages pluralism and tolerance. My problem would be if it was doing just one, or promoting one a lot more than the others. It sounds like that is what has happened at the school you are talking about, and it is therefore wrong.

I do have one final question. Was that a public or a private school?
Public. It wasn’t just in my school, it was policy in the whole district, even the non-Jewish parts. Ban Christian stuff but anything else goes. I know not all Jews are like that, but it seems the vast majority of South Floridian Jews are.

When I was at school, all those years ago, we had a Christian asembaly every morning, first off the HEad would annouce various things then the Chaplain would give a lesson, a couple of hyms and off to class. For the religious bit, the Jewish and (back then tiny minority of) Muslims were able to leave and had several seperate rooms in which to conduct themselves as they saw fit.
Everyone was allowed to wear a religious symbol, as long as it was not on the top of the uniform (the school was very heavy on that sort of thing). If any fights that broke out where traced back to religious differances, the Headmaster would treat them equally and set them lines, usually around 200 plus, and usually something like "Different people have different religions, and must be respected for this" or similar.

Either ban all religious teaching in schools (which persoanlly I would advise against, I feel an understanding of other religions is vital to a persons understanding of the world around them) or allow people to wear (and pray in the appropiate fashion etc) religious insignia or similar. I favour the latter. I am a Christian, but spent many years in countries around the globe, as often in Muslim, Hindu and Jewish dominated countries as Christian countries. I have always respected other people for their religions, and mostly they have respected mine.

This is like the tie pins wth the Flag of St. George (English flag) on being banned for prison wardens because it'll upset muslim prisoners...
From what I remember, they were removed because they were against uniform regulations, not because they offended Muslims. Don't believe everything you read in a tabloid.

Hey Skyfork, are you Fillipino? Do you practice any Fillipino martial arts? I used to study Kali (Dan Inosanto's technique plus some of the late Edgar Sulite's LAMECO method)
Yeah, you get taught a basic course in stick fighting in the AFP but other than that I never really needed it since I was never assigned to crowd control or anything similar. Everything else, like machete and bolo knife use is something almost every village-boys learns eventually.

Yeah, you get taught a basic course in stick fighting in the AFP but other than that I never really needed it since I was never assigned to crowd control or anything similar. Everything else, like machete and bolo knife use is something almost every village-boys learns eventually.
cool.

:rolleyes: Crazy Norwegians.

Honestly though, since when did Norway become an Islamic state? I wear my Star of David necklace every day and my school has a significant Muslim population - nothing has EVER happened. If anything, the school itself is being prejudice towards both religions.
This is precisely the sentiment I've seen expressed by a Muslim person after he has read that story. I posted it earlier on an Israeli forum I visit, and one of the forum's Pakistani guests said literally the following: "There hasn't been any provocation by any Muslims yet and the school head's announced them guilty already".

This is precisely the sentiment I've seen expressed by a Muslim person after he has read that story. I posted it earlier on an Israeli forum I visit, and one of the forum's Pakistani guests said literally the following: "There hasn't been any provocation by any Muslims yet and the school head's announced them guilty already".
As with most things, the Powers That Be are "erring on the side of caution" and in doing so pander to the stereotype of "muslim = mad bomber" - all the while trying to look "sensitive". OTOH, there have been enough incidents of radical muslim splodydopes taking exception to this or that and killing people - at schools no less (see Chechnya) - that if somthing DID happen and the school hadn't said/done anything conilitory to the nutburgers some legal nutburger would sue.

It's a lose-lose situation - and the splodydopes know it and exploit it. :headbang:

Who said political correctness isn't harmfull? A Norwegian school has told a teacher not to wear a small star of David pendant because it offends Muslim students. WTF? So now people can't display their religion because it might offend Muslims?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3152397,00.html

The Muslims need to learn how to land a plane. :gundge: :mp5: :sniper:

The Muslims need to learn how to land a plane. :gundge: :mp5: :sniper:
ALL of them?! :O

That's just not realistic!

So, they're giving in to these peoples' intolerance? If anything, the anti-Semitic Muslims at that school who want to impose their will through intimidation and fear on everyone are the real problem. I'm much more worried that people are giving in to these bigots than standing up for religious freedom.
I agree. Either ban all religious symbols or ban none. I have no real preference either way.

I agree. Either ban all religious symbols or ban none. I have no real preference either way.

My preference would be to ban ALL obtrusive aspects of religion. Keep it to yourself... stop inflicting it on others.

I doubt that as many people would be offended by each other's religions, if they were never displayed in such prominent fashions.