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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| British Muslim woman takes sauna in full hijab |
| 2007-03-15 |
| It's not known whether she wanted to make a statement by her action or was it just an expression of her religious sentiment, but a Muslim woman surprised everyone when she took Sauna bath wearing a full hijab and then jumping into a swimming pool in the same robe. Subsequently, she changed out of her wet hijab into a dry one and left the David Lloyd Leisure Centre in Oxford, alone. She was allowed to swelter in a sauna because the Centre's worried staff did not want to offend her. But, after the incident, Centre manager Liam MacGilp briefed all pool and sauna attendants on the company's policy not allowing attending sauna baths or swimming pools in outdoor garments, reported The Sun. According to the paper, the Centre staff did not know if they should enforce a dress code that asks customers to wear suitable clothes. People in the sauna - all wearing normal swimming cossies - were amazed as the woman joined them in the steam room in her robes. A surprised Muslim spokesman Taj Hargey asked: "How can you swim properly if you wear a hijab?" Members of the David Lloyd Leisure Centre said they were baffled by the women's actions. Club member Ian Caldwell (46) was sitting in the sauna when the fully-dressed woman walked in. He said: "I pointed out that it was a sauna and asked her if it was appropriate. All the other women in there were all in bathing costumes. When I saw her in the pool later, she was still wearing the Islamic outfit. The pool attendant said she was allowed to wear this due to her religious customs. It was just political correctness gone completely barmy. To be serious, this is a question of hygiene, not religious rights." Reacting to the incident, Taj, the chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre in Oxford, said: "Wearing a veil is nothing to do with Islam, it is a cultural tradition. People should have appropriate swimwear when they come to a leisure centre. It is basic common sense." The incident demonstrated a problem among some Muslim women in Britain, he said and added: "They think this is their way of making a statement, but this is the worst possible statement. They are shooting themselves in the foot." |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #13 I bet it was Keith Ellison. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-03-15 17:48 |
| #12 British muslim is an oxymoron! especially with that display. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2007-03-15 17:46 |
| #11 How do they know it was a woman? Indeed, NS is on to something. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-03-15 14:35 |
| #10 Good point, #4 NS. Too bad some woman in the sauna didn't insist this clown prove she's female right then and there and not just And no, a "woman's" voice would not have been enough proof. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-03-15 14:29 |
| #9 Woo hoo, a wet burka contest! You can bet that's going to be on the next Muslimas Gone Wild video! |
| Posted by: Grumenk Philalzabod0723 2007-03-15 14:28 |
| #8 This was a gender-integrated sauna, as best I could tell from the article. My local one doesn't seem to have a dress code even for segregated ones, other than you must wear at least a swimsuit. Hadn't thought of the suicide-bomber aspect, good point. Maybe everyone should have run out of the facility screaming in terror & then called the local emergency number. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-03-15 13:30 |
| #7 Those clever muslims. Taking a bath and doing the laundry at the same time. I hear they also save a fortune on toilet paper. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-03-15 13:29 |
| #6 I would have been out the sauna door like a shot. A burkha in a sauna would have shouted "boomer" to me. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble 2007-03-15 13:24 |
| #5 This is schtoopid. The alleged point of hijab is to keep women from distracting righteous men from their worship of Allan with their evil lust-inducing femaleness. In an all female environment this is politics and a cultural nose tweaking. "Go ahead, offend me. I dare you." |
| Posted by: Baba Tutu 2007-03-15 13:24 |
| #4 How do they know it was a woman? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-03-15 12:53 |
| #3 I think they should ALL jump into the deep end in full dress. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-03-15 12:46 |
| #2 If she's that stupid...be my guest. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-03-15 12:35 |
| #1 At my local gender-segregated sauna I see men there wearing hoodies and long thick pants all the time. They stay a few minutes then leave. Wearing insulated clothing there guarantees you will warm up [then cool off] extremely slowly. Thick clothing actually keeps you cooler in a sauna [for a while] than no clothing at all. However, swimwear is a safety issue at a public pool. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-03-15 12:15 |