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| Britain |
| School U-turns on halal Christmas menu |
| 2006-11-17 |
| Parents have forced a comprehensive school to back down over plans to offer only halal chicken on its Christmas dinner menu. Pupils will now also have the option of traditional turkey with trimmings as a choice after the intervention of a former Government minister. The dispute arose at Oakwood School, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, amid claims that the British festive season was being undermined. Around one in five of the 1,000 boys and girls is Asian and the school says its initial decision had been made to bring "a spirit of inclusion" to the Christmas meal. Rachel Johnson, who has two teenage daughters at the school, explained that objections had been raised "as a matter of principle" and not a racial issue. She said: "It has really rocked my boat because I feel my culture is being stolen away from me. "I have no objection to halal meat being on the menu so long as there is a choice of traditional Christmas fare. "A lot of parents have been in touch supporting my views. Our culture and religion are being trampled on and it is not right." The £1.75p Christmas dinner is made available for pupils as a treat in place of the usual school menu. Under the original proposal there would have been an option of sausages wrapped in bacon alongside the halal chicken. Mrs Johnson said: "Why can't the non-Muslim kids enjoy traditional Christmas fare. Why can't we have a choice of chicken which suits everyone, both Muslims and non-Muslims. We bend over backwards at Eid to eat traditional Muslim food so why should we have to change our Christmas tradition? "This is a multi-racial, multi-religious school and should be catering for the needs of everyone, not just the Muslim section." Her 15-year-old daughter, who asked not to be named, had been thinking of boycotting the Christmas meal along with many of her friends if no choice was offered. She said: "I have no objection to including Muslims in celebrating Christmas but it is quite wrong to offer us only halal meat." |
| Posted by:wonderer |
| #5 Halal chicken is to Christmas as a BLT is to Eid Al Fitr. Try proposing the reverse to muslims next Eid. Christmas is not meant to "include" muslims in any of it's traditions. Much like Eid is not meant to include "infidels" in its'. Don't get me wrong; feel free to partake in sampling and enjoying the traditions of another culture's festivals. Just do not expect the very essence and tradition of the event to vaporize because you've decided to drop in. You are as welcome to join in whatever festivities you wish as you are to bugger off if you don't. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-11-17 20:36 |
| #4 Exactly, it is a fucking CHRISTMAS meal, remind me what say do Christians have in Ramadam celebrations? |
| Posted by: bombay 2006-11-17 19:37 |
| #3 The problem with halal chicken is that it is bloody halal! F**k that noise! If the Muslims want their precious little meals, let them bring them to school as specials, not shove them down everyone else's throat; or in this case, have PC school officials do it for them. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-11-17 18:10 |
| #2 Sausage wrapped in bacon alongside the halal chicken?? Talk about ying and yang. I'd expect seathing about the high vapor pressure of bacon. What is wrong with halal chicken with trimmings? It's rather like kosher turkey, right? Or is it prepared in some obnoxious way like ground chicken patties? Is there no halal turkey? |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-11-17 17:56 |
| #1 the school says its initial decision had been made to bring "a spirit of inclusion" to the Christmas meal. So Muslims were being included through excluding everyone else. Logical. |
| Posted by: Mr Spock 2006-11-17 17:43 |