Muslims Angry over date of Olympics

[GenMarshall]

Muslims' anger as London Olympics clash with Ramadan​

The 2012 London Olympics have been plunged into controversy by the discovery that the Games will clash with Ramadan, the most holy month in the Islamic calendar.

The clash will put Muslim athletes at a disadvantage as they will be expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for the entire duration of the Games.

In 2012, Ramadan will take place from July 21 to August 20, while the Olympics run from July 27 to August 12.

An anticipated 3,000 Muslim competitors are expected to be affected.

About a quarter of the 11,099 athletes who took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics came from countries with predominantly Muslim populations.

Because the Muslim calendar is based on a lunar cycle, the ninth month of Ramadan - which runs from the appearance of one new crescent moon to the next - gets earlier by around 11 days each year.

The clash will be a huge embarrassment for Lord Coe, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, and London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who have been keen to ensure the Games involve all Britain's ethnic communities.

Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "They would not have organised this at Christmas. It is equally stupid to organise it at Ramadan.

"It shows a complete lack of awareness and sensitivity.

"This is going to disadvantage the athletes and alienate the Asian communities by saying they don't matter.

"It's not only going to affect the participants it's going to affect all the people who want to watch the Games.

"They won't want to travel during Ramadan and they won't want to watch sport. It's a spiritual time."

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an imam on the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said: "I'm sure the athletes will seek advice from their scholars.

"They are obviously going to be at a disadvantage because other competitors will be drinking and keeping up their energy levels.

"But they are athletes and I am sure they will train their bodies to cope with this.

"A Muslim might feel it would have been nice to avoid this month but life doesn't stop for Muslims during Ramadan even though they are fasting.

"The best thing for a Muslim is to continue his or her life as normal. This is the real test."

The British Olympic Association is now planning a meeting with the organisers of London 2012 to discuss how the timing will affect UK Muslim athletes.

And Muslim countries such as Turkey are calling for the date to be changed.

Togay Bayalti, president of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, said: "This will be difficult for Muslim athletes.

"They don't have to observe Ramadan if they are doing sport and travelling but they will have to decide whether it is important to them.

"It would be nice for the friendship of the Games if they had chosen a different date."

The International Olympics Committee insisted the Games take place some time between July 15 to August 31, giving more than a week either side of Ramadan.

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said: "We give a window to the five bid cities. The host city selects the dates within that window.

"The Games bring together virtually every religion and creed. How to deal with religious clashes is up to the athletes."

Joanna Manning Cooper, spokeswoman for London 2012, said: "We did know about it when we submitted our bid and we have always believed we could find ways to accommodate it.

"We had lots of things to consider when we submitted our dates, including the fact that transport will be less crowded in the summer holiday.

"We also need 70,000 volunteers and this is the best time to find them.

"We are working with the Muslim Council of Great Britain to find ways to accommodate Ramadan during the London Games."

Source

 

[Yoda Power]

I think they should moce the Olympics, simply to show respect to the muslims. They already hate us enough, no need to make it worse. Besides who cares if the Olympics are in July/August or June/July?

 

[Smellincoffee]

What's more important to them, submission to Allah or worldy entertainment?

 

[GenMarshall]

Personaly, I dont think the Olympics should be bending over for the Muslims. Bad enough they were up in arms with the Danish Cartoons and the Pope's Comment. Seriously, the world does not revolve around the Muslims.

 

[Winner]

Olympic games are in fact a pagan Greek ritual. All true Muslims shouldn't participate in them at all

Seriously, our Muslim friends should realize finally, that they don't rule the world, so it won't do everything as they would like it. Moreover, nobody forces them to take part in Olympics.

If you don't like the party, don't go there.

 

[steviejay]

Heh, I'll agree with Winner on that one

The thing is, it's not as if the world has suddenly decided to change the date of the Games simply to piss off the Muslim community, it's always been in and around that time has it not? They made mention that they wouldn't have done it round Christmas but I'm not sure I believe that, it's an INTERNATIONAL event, encompassing all creeds. Religion has no place in something which brings humanity closer together because I'm of the believe that religion is possibly the main thing pushing humanity further apart.

Keep the games the way they are. My $0.02

 

[Gr3yL3gion]

Most of you are a little bit harsh, don't you think? The muslims only specify their concerns, as well as suggesting moving the time that the Olympics being held.

 

[Truronian]

Hmm... an unfortunate oversight. Its seems that the Muslim competitors will have to work around it as there doesn't seem to be anything the organisers can do.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I think this is a valid complaint for once. Of course, this date wasn't set to piss off muslims, just a mistake. What's the big deal in changing the date in 2012?

This has nothing to do with danish cartoons or the Pope's comment or bending over backward for muslims. This is about leveling the playing field. Something I find extremely important for the olympics. I would not want an Olympics where 3,000 athletes are at a disadvantage.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

The issue here is that the Olympic Games exists on the philosophy of bringing all people together. Saying things like "those Muslims don't have to come" is a bit of a contradiction of the philosophy of the games, that is, to operate them at the exclusion or disadvantage of possibly a quarter of the participants.

 

[Lotus49]

How shocking.
It's getting kind of old. Pretty soon we're going to just start ticking them off on purpose.

 

[Dark Ascendant]

On the one hand, the date of the Olympics will put Muslims at a disadvantage since it will clash with religious beliefs that they hold dear, but the world does not revolve around the wishes of only Muslims.

On the other hand, from the article, it looks like someone screwed up his job since apparently this sort of thing wasn't suppose to happen and was probably due to cultural ignorance.

I'd change the date. If someone had been more observant and knowledgable in the first place, the date would be different and this issue would have been avoided.

 

[steviejay]

Heh, I don't think changing the date is a good idea cause over here we don't really get a summer, we tend to get like.... a day of sun each year. I think it was a Tuesday this year

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Look people, no Olympic flags are burned, no one is rioting, this is just a complaint. No need to lump this in with the Danish cartoons or the Pope comment riots.

What does reacting the way some do here tell about yourself? Should Muslims just never voice their opinion or concerns over anthing? This time they have a reasonable concern and people are flying of the handle.

I'll remember this the next time the debate concerns abortion or gay marriage.

edit: The title of the article is crap.

 

[Winner]

Look people, no Olympic flags are burned, no one is rioting, this is just a complaint. No need to lump this in with the Danish cartoons or the Pope comment riots.

What does reacting the way some do here tell about yourself? Should Muslims just never voice their opnion or concerns over anthing? This time they have a reasonable concern and people are flying of the handle.

I'll remember this the next time the debate concerns abortion or gay marriage.

Nah, it's just the world is getting tired of their constant religious whining.

 

[Nobody]

These are the same muslims who bombed london on the day london was awarded the olympics? Now want the city of london to move the day of their olympics? Same people that sneak into olympics and kill the constents they dont like. Maybe they could delay Ramadan, i mean its not like they were willing to delay their war for Yom Kippur, why should the olympics be delayed for Ramadan.

On the other hand think of all the money they could save on security if the muslims didn't show up.

(yeah i just painted them all with the same brush, but im aloud to some times, sue me)

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[Steph]

Does Ramadan apply only to ingested food?
Could they not take their steroids via injection, as most other civilized athlets do?

 

[Winner]

Does Ramadan apply only to ingested food?
Could they not take there steroids via injection, as most other civilized athlets do?

 

[Adamb0mb]

God forbid you do anything during ramadan, lent, or hannakuh...


... any days left?

 

[steviejay]

Although I agree with the majority of what Nobody said I will simply say just to clarify that it wasn't the entire muslim community who chose to bomb London on that day, it was a small part and I'm praying they're nowhere near the Olympics when it begins