Fox News finally has proof that Sharia Law is taking over us

[doggie]

the stupidity of fox news knows no bounds. this is so stupid it is hard to believe.

YMCA Swim Class for Muslim Girls Proves Sharia Law Exists in US, Claims Fox News (Video)

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion ... ews-video#

Conservatives have warned for years that "Sharia law" was "creeping" into the United States, and now they supposedly have their proof.

According to the StarTribune, a YMCA in St. Paul, Minn. has partnered with the St. Paul Police Department to start a swimming class for Somali-American girls (ages 5 to 17), who require extra privacy per their Muslim religion.

“We’ve moved kids from being afraid of the water to really being able to tread water,†Morgan Johnson, director of healthy living at the downtown YMCA, told the StarTribune.

The St. Paul police department helps provide transportation for the girls to the YMCA.

“I think this is just a great opportunity for them to learn basic skills that we take for granted,†said Police Sergeant Jennifer O’Donnell, who often works with the Somali community.

Because Muslim girls want to swim, but cannot reveal too much skin, the pool is cleared out for an hour. The men's locker room is locked and female lifeguards take watch.

According to RawStory.com (video below), this morning Fox News' Heather Nauert reported this swimming class is proof that “Sharia law is now changing everything."

“Well, the minority becoming the majority at one community pool,†warned Nauert. “Sharia law is now changing everything. A YMCA in Minneapolis-St. Paul is starting a swim class for Muslim girls, but special considerations have to be made to keep with their religious beliefs."

"Now, this means during the one hour class, the pool is being shut down, the men's locker room is being locked and female lifeguards are being brought in," added Nauert. "Similar classes are now starting at towns across the Midwest. We’ll keep watching this story for you."

However, contrary to what Nauert reported there is no actual Sharia law in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

[Hane]

Now, I know practically nothing about Sharia law, but I'm going to throw a crazy guess out there that it also opposes good old American values like murder and theft.

[Becoming_Me]

No worries, I have a burka, so I will am ready for the takeover that starts with swimming class and ends in Sharia law.

[Hane]

You gotta love how Fox News loves to fixate on one quirky little thing that happens and goes all batshit over it, as if it were a major imposition on EVERYBODY, and not just a minor accommodation or possible inconvenience.

Some school in California set a limit on the percentage of Christmas carols in its holiday concert, and a couple of my friends started whirling around in circles with blood spurting out their ears. As if this were going to happen to Everybody If We Don't Watch Out.

[keen23]

No worries, I have a burka, so I will am ready for the takeover that starts with swimming class and ends in Sharia law.

Honestly, there are days when I'd like to be able to hide in a burqua. Today I wore pajamas to work. If I had a burqua, I'd probably wear pajamas to work every day, instead of occasionally pretending to follow the dress code.

[Becoming_Me]

Honestly, there are days when I'd like to be able to hide in a burqua. Today I wore pajamas to work. If I had a burqua, I'd probably wear pajamas to work every day, instead of occasionally pretending to follow the dress code.

I will wear mine, if you wear yours!

[Terrie]

Since when is the YMCA a government institution?

[salex]

My state passed a law prohibiting sharia law in the state.

OF course, my state also passed laws that say that if you work for planned parenthood, you can't volunteer at your kids school (Side effect of not letting anyone who works at planned parenthood teach a sex ed class at a school) . THey either passed or tried to pass one that said a doctor can't be sued for withholding information about a pregnancy if he thinks the mother might then abort, and can't be sued for wrongful birth OR to any physical damage to the mother from taking the pregnancy to term--though her owner can sue for loss of property if she dies i mean her husband can sue if she dies.

Oh, and my governor hold prayer rallies, blows a rams horn in the state house, etc, but we don't want religion (at least Islam) to be involved with running KS. Oh, I mean we don't want some other religion to be involved.

[flubber]

My state passed a law prohibiting sharia law in the state.

OF course, my state also passed laws that say that if you work for planned parenthood, you can't volunteer at your kids school (Side effect of not letting anyone who works at planned parenthood teach a sex ed class at a school) . THey either passed or tried to pass one that said a doctor can't be sued for withholding information about a pregnancy if he thinks the mother might then abort, and can't be sued for wrongful birth OR to any physical damage to the mother from taking the pregnancy to term--though her owner can sue for loss of property if she dies i mean her husband can sue if she dies.

Oh, and my governor hold prayer rallies, blows a rams horn in the state house, etc, but we don't want religion (at least Islam) to be involved with running KS. Oh, I mean we don't want some other religion to be involved.

:angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: WTF

How awesome is it thought that an organisation is prepared to go out of their way to help these girls do something they would have NO opportunity to do otherwise.

[slickcat79]

Oh, give me a fucking break. How many of our favorite fundies would LOVE to see the exact same thing happen for their benefit? Here's one of Zsu's fangirls bemoaning the fact that their local swim club does not provide sufficiently modest options for changing clothes, and the discomfort her daughter she feels while swimming around men.

sarah-heartsdesire.blogspot.com/2010/02/swimming-with-modesty.html

Look at all these fundies who cram themselves and their daughters into tshirts/full skirts/"modestwear" suits for swimming. If they could get a local pool to provide the same service to protect their "religious modesty" they would be ALL OVER IT. But of course that's different, because it involves white Christians and not brown Muslims and they have no similarities whatsoever :roll:

[JesusFightClub]

That's a really great initiative. Allowing the girls to try things out they might not have tried while still staying within comfort zone (for the time being - this initiative may help them step out of it!)

It's not Sharia law, and I wish people would stop getting so hysterical about it. I read all these stupid posts and cartoons saying the UK's under Sharia law, um no it's not. Not even slightly. And I doubt the US is about to succumb any time soon either.

[flojo]

How awesome that these girls can learn how to swim. Swimming is a valuable skill that can save lives.

Gosh Fox news has to really stretch to feed it's persecution complex sometimes.

I also wish at least one person there had enough journalistic clout and integrity to actually find out what Sharia law is.

[Clementine]

I don't know if this is an example of sharia law, but it is not uncomplicated that we in the west has fought for equal rights for men and women, democracy and an open society, the possibility for women to public places and not suffer harrassment and now we have a group of immigrants who demand that we reinstate gender segregation.

In Sweden we see it in public funded swimming pools, tax funded schools, political debates where muslims demand that the women should be seated in the back and will harass them if they say anything and so on. I wish that people in my country, especially the so called feminists, would stand up and say NO, we have fought for equal rights for 200 years and will not back down, but it's quiet, oh so quiet.

Separate hours at a pool may seem quite harmless, but our fear of standing up for our rights have now led to public pools in cities with a large immigrant population from the Middle East and North Africa are dangerous to visit for women. Sexual harrassments and threats are everyday occurrances if Swedish looking women go there. There have also been a number of rapes, some child rapes, in our swimming pools. There has never been any need for guards at our swimming pools before, because the staff could deal with the few sitations that occured. Now a lot of public swimming pools have to have one or two guards. Same thing with public libraries and the ERs in areas with a lot of immigrants.

That's one result of what happens when you out of some misguided respect for other cultures refuse to stand up for your own.

I also wonder if people in this thread would be so supportive, understanding and positive if it was American fundies that demanded special hours just for the girls in public pools.

Are muslim fundamentalists ok, but christian fundies are not?

[crazyforkate]

Of course, Republicans think that business and government are the same thing (see: Mitt Romney's entire campaign), so I can see how they got mixed up.

(PS: I am in full support of a "modesty" swim class for people of any faith or belief which requires it. Swimming skills can save your life!)

[JesusFightClub]

It's a fair question, Clementine - I'd say it was OK if any kind of women wanted it (Muslims can be American too...)

We have women-only swim classes and gym sessions in the UK and have done for years. Some women, myself included, are nervous or unhappy or shy at swimming in mixed classes. I'd prefer a women only swim session and a lot of other girls and women do too, for various reasons ranging from religious modesty, to just modesty, to very bad experiences.

I'll go for "wee Somali girls learn how to swim" over "they don't get to swim unless they strip off in front of a bunch of men". And I would say absolutely the same about Christian fundamentalist girls. This isn't like normal human interaction (where it's fairly weird if you do a Steve Maxwell and won't even spend five minutes alone with someone of the opposite sex), this is something where you have to take your clothes off, and if anyone, male or female, would prefer not to do that in mixed company, that's OK.

[Clementine]

It's a fair question, Clementine - I'd say it was OK if any kind of women wanted it (Muslims can be American too...)

We have women-only swim classes and gym sessions in the UK and have done for years. Some women, myself included, are nervous or unhappy or shy at swimming in mixed classes. I'd prefer a women only swim session and a lot of other girls and women do too, for various reasons ranging from religious modesty, to just modesty, to very bad experiences.

I'll go for "wee Somali girls learn how to swim" over "they don't get to swim unless they strip off in front of a bunch of men". And I would say absolutely the same about Christian fundamentalist girls. This isn't like normal human interaction (where it's fairly weird if you do a Steve Maxwell and won't even spend five minutes alone with someone of the opposite sex), this is something where you have to take your clothes off, and if anyone, male or female, would prefer not to do that in mixed company, that's OK.

Nobody has to strip in front of a group of men. There are separate changing rooms for men and women and if nudity is an issue, there are always burqinis to use.

I guess that private companies can do whatever they want, although I wonder if it really IS legal to turn away costumers of a specific gender, but I don't think that our tax money should be used for gender segregation.

[mypsychoticself]

I don't know if this is an example of sharia law, but it is not uncomplicated that we in the west has fought for equal rights for men and women, democracy and an open society, the possibility for women to public places and not suffer harrassment and now we have a group of immigrants who demand that we reinstate gender segregation.

In Sweden we see it in public funded swimming pools, tax funded schools, political debates where muslims demand that the women should be seated in the back and will harass them if they say anything and so on. I wish that people in my country, especially the so called feminists, would stand up and say NO, we have fought for equal rights for 200 years and will not back down, but it's quiet, oh so quiet.

Separate hours at a pool may seem quite harmless, but our fear of standing up for our rights have now led to public pools in cities with a large immigrant population from the Middle East and North Africa are dangerous to visit for women. Sexual harrassments and threats are everyday occurrances if Swedish looking women go there. There have also been a number of rapes, some child rapes, in our swimming pools. There has never been any need for guards at our swimming pools before, because the staff could deal with the few sitations that occured. Now a lot of public swimming pools have to have one or two guards. Same thing with public libraries and the ERs in areas with a lot of immigrants.

That's one result of what happens when you out of some misguided respect for other cultures refuse to stand up for your own.

I also wonder if people in this thread would be so supportive, understanding and positive if it was American fundies that demanded special hours just for the girls in public pools.

Are muslim fundamentalists ok, but christian fundies are not?

I can't speak for other countries, but here in the States most of our backwards movement comes from fundamentalist Christians. Muslims (both immigrants and citizens) tend to just live their lives. They may sometimes follow rules that I disagree with, but it's very rare for a Muslim group to try to impose those rules on others. It isn't that Muslim fundamentalists are ok, it's just that they're a very small minority here.

[salex]

I would say that many of the people most hysterical about "Sharia law" would be on the bandwagon for a return to old testament law enforced by the holy christian patriarchy (You know, like say, Doug Phillips) ....

[JesusFightClub]

Nobody has to strip in front of a group of men. There are separate changing rooms for men and women and if nudity is an issue, there are always burqinis to use.

I guess that private companies can do whatever they want, although I wonder if it really IS legal to turn away costumers of a specific gender, but I don't think that our tax money should be used for gender segregation.

If you're wearing a swimsuit, a bikini or (if you are a guy) a pair of trunks, you're fairly close to naked. Not everyone is happy with that.

There's a lot of times and places where it doesn't make sense (and can be actively harmful) to segregate the genders. A school classroom or a business meeting would be an example of that. However, a condition of nudity or near nudity can make people less comfortable. In that case, I'm at a loss why it should cause any difficulty if women prefer to swim with other women or men not to show their bodies to women.

If you're opposed to tax-payers' money being used for gender segregation, why don't you approve of mixed changing rooms? Surely as there should be no difference between the sexes, we don't need different changing rooms at all?

[slickcat79]

I would say that many of the people most hysterical about "Sharia law" would be on the bandwagon for a return to old testament law enforced by the holy christian patriarchy (You know, like say, Doug Phillips) ....

That too. It isn't like the people hyperventilating about "Sharia law" would want to promote feminism, equality, gay/trans pride, religious freedom or any of the other hallmarks of a modern, egalitarian society. They are just angry that "muzzies" exist, and completely blind to the similarities between fundamentalist Islam and fundamentalist Christianity.

[Clementine]

If you're wearing a swimsuit, a bikini or (if you are a guy) a pair of trunks, you're fairly close to naked. Not everyone is happy with that.

There's a lot of times and places where it doesn't make sense (and can be actively harmful) to segregate the genders. A school classroom or a business meeting would be an example of that. However, a condition of nudity or near nudity can make people less comfortable. In that case, I'm at a loss why it should cause any difficulty if women prefer to swim with other women or men not to show their bodies to women.

If you're opposed to tax-payers' money being used for gender segregation, why don't you approve of mixed changing rooms? Surely as there should be no difference between the sexes, we don't need different changing rooms at all?

I don't see how separate changing rooms are the same thing as banning one of the genders.

I also wonder how these women who can't see the legs of men or nude male torsos are supposed to live in Sweden without wearing blindfolds. There are men in shorts and without shirts everywhere during the warm months.

Burqinis are great to cover both the skin and shape if you choose a non tight model. I wear one when I swim outside in the summer to avoid burning my skin.

[AnywhereButHere]

I could've sworn that I saw on the Rodrigues family thread that a local water park had closed for their benefit so that they could go swimming without seeing evil bathing suits (maybe I misread though...). It bugs me that many of the same people demonizing the YMCA would be all over happy about the water park incident.

I just hate the hypocrisy. Modesty is great for proper, Christian ladies, but you Muslims better just suck it up. I don't think so. I don't see what the big deal is over having separate swim times every now and again. Hell, have them for men too if they want. Just make sure they're published well ahead of time so all can plan.

[Mama Mia]

I could've sworn that I saw on the Rodrigues family thread that a local water park had closed for their benefit so that they could go swimming without seeing evil bathing suits (maybe I misread though...). It bugs me that many of the same people demonizing the YMCA would be all over happy about the water park incident.

I just hate the hypocrisy. Modesty is great for proper, Christian ladies, but you Muslims better just suck it up. I don't think so. I don't see what the big deal is over having separate swim times every now and again. Hell, have them for men too if they want. Just make sure they're published well ahead of time so all can plan.

I think that hypocrisy goes both ways though. How many people would be ridiculing them if it was a Christian fundamentalist group who had pushed for a female only swimming session in order to protect their modesty? Especially if public services were used to provide transportation?

I agree that separate swim times are okay, as long as you have them for both genders, and as long as they are fairly minimal, since it is catering to a special interest.

[JesusFightClub]

But you're not just looking at each other, are you. You're in a swimming pool, very close to each other in a state of near nudity.

It's not really the same as seeing a bloke walking about with no shirt on. I'd agree with you on that, get over it. He's allowed to have his shirt off :) However, swimming is very near to being naked with a whole bunch of people with their kit off too. I can't do it and I can totally get why girls, be they Somali or white American, don't want to do it either.

It isn't the same as saying that women and men should sit separately in classrooms or women should be in purdah. It's like how some women in gym classes prefer all-women classes because they're a bit shy about men seeing them exercising in skimpy kit. Men might prefer being fully clothed in front of women too, and that is fair enough.

[keen23]

Here's my take- the YMCA allows private groups to rent out their swimming pools for specific events. The specific groups set the rules for who is swimming and in what capacity. How is this different from a high school having daily swim team practice at the YMCA for their team? No one outside of the team is allowed in the pool during swim practice. Just anecdotally, I know that my high school had to rent practice time from a local gym complex. No one outside of the team was allowed in the pool during that time, and for security measures, no one was allowed access to the pool changing rooms during our rental time.