What are British Protestant Christian values? It's nowhere near to starvation, they just aren't allowed to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. I don't know where you got sleep deprivation from... Brain washing? Why is this perverse? " Fasting, or sawm in Arabic, literally means “to refrain” – and not only is it abstaining from food, drink and sex, but also actions such as smoking cigarettes, talking about others behind their backs, or using foul language. Fasting does not mean Muslims retreat from their daily routine, rather they are encouraged to continue as normal in their work and usual activities. In fact, this is where the challenge of patience and endurance comes in. Muslims believe fasting is not merely a physical ritual, but is primarily a time for reflection and spiritual recharging. During the fast, Muslims believe that their desires are curbed and that they can gain understanding of how those who are less privileged than them feel. It is considered to increase one’s patience, closeness to God and generosity towards others." Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/17/ramadan-guide-to-islamic-holy-month-muslims-fast
I could never be a muslim. No sex, or smoking is easy. But come now...no foul language?!? Impossible.
Only during the day, they can bonk as much as they like during the evening. My muslim friends who smoke find that the hardest part. Many even start taking an entire month off smoking, always baffled me how if they can do that why they go back to it. A lot who train fit it around their schedules. I know one who told me how challenging it was during his RAF training, still came out near top. The foul language part is to do with anger leads to hate which leads to the dark... wait wrong religion.
I’ll attempt to offer an alternative to the “only bigots would disagree" line. I personally am against any religiously-motivated request. It’s a small change maybe, but for having seen the fabric of the French society heavily mutate between the late 70s to now, I for one think that small religious requests soon turn to bigger one, especially from a religion that is (still) in phase of expansion. People advocate freedom OF religion or freedom FROM religion. The first is good, the second much better as far as I’m concerned. I realized we already work around the Christian calendar. I won’t go with the “but [insert country]’s heritage is Judo-Christian]. Not that it is not true, but much more importantly to me, it’s not because we have built our societies around one religious calendar that I want to see more of the same. I don’t believe in “well, we did for X”, so until we reach a more optimal situations, “we might do it for Y”. I do realized that most practicing religious people are probably decent human beings, but that doesn’t make the fact that – in my opinion - religion itself is a major brake to human development and less true. The faster we get rid of it bronze age superstitions, the better.
I don't think you get rid of religion by banning it or not accommodating it, but by offering people really cheap liberal educations and iPods and sane sexual morals and good wine and loose drug laws. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33o32C0ogVM"]My Favorite Things - Julie Andrews - YouTube[/ame]
I don't know if getting rid of religion is even possible, but I grew up in what many would call THE country of cheap liberal education, sane sexual morals and good wine. It just happened to experience its deadliest religious terrorist attack not two months ago.
Ehh, there's predictable factors that lead to a lack of religiosity. We just have to get them to everyone. I think there's some predictable factors that lead to terrorism as well, but that might be a topic for another time.
one that springs to mind is that Architecture and interior decor should not be too flashy but Kalvinists take things to far the other way. Also this [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZVjKlBCvhg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZVjKlBCvhg[/ame] v. starved, starv·ing, starves v.intr. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. Informal To be hungry 3. To suffer from deprivation: a puppy starving for attention. 4. Archaic To suffer or die from cold To starve meaning to deprive. There are psychological effects but limited physical impact, although not drinking can lead to dehydration in hot climates. Personal experience of Ramadan in Indonesia with mosques competing for who has the loudest sound system starting at 4 in the morning and stopping at 12 at night. Depriving people of food, water and sleep while indoctrinating them is recognized brain washing technique. So long as you do not cause physical harm it does not rate as torture and is permitted by the US government. But it is perverse. The fact that the religion gets people to do it to themselves is a neat touch.
I know a devout Christian who observes lent very seriously. I think he teaches his kids to give up one thing every year. The thing about accommodating religion is that you have to do it for every religion. Pastafarians and Satanists being prime examples. Not that I care in the slightest.
I think it makes sense when there is a substantial amount of the population who seriously observe such things but I don't think you could do it for everyone. Which perhaps is argument not to make allowances at all. I'm doing roku sainichi this year, or I'm going to try to. That involves taking extra vows for six days each month the 8th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, 29th, and 30th. With adjustments for February. On those days I will eat one vegan meal before noon and that's it. There's other stuff but it's not pertinent to the discussion. I wouldn't expect any allowances for me on those days, it wouldn't make sense. I'm probably literally the only Buddhist in the village. Or I would be if I lived in a village.
Which makes everyday life hell, so that makes Cameron the devil incarnate..... It's all making sense now!
Presumably most of these kids don't get to decide if they fast for Ramadan? Isn't it just common sense to make some allowances for them? In the end, it's in everyone's best interests if more kids get better exam results.
Typically muslim children start observing Ramadan from puberty, so it varies, and since kids are not often responsible for their own meal plans, it's not really a choice. Common sense flies out of the window when it comes to muslims at the moment. If this were packaged as 'Tens of thousands of pupils to benefit from modified exam timetable', there would be no news coverage at all, but since the people benefiting are brown, it has become a major story. Always good to see who the closet racists are on Facebook though.
"This could mean that subjects taken by large numbers of students, such as GCSE English and maths, may be timetabled early in the exams season before Ramadan, or taken at a time of day to lessen the effect on students who might be fasting." Exam season is the same length, so no overall change, individualy it depends on what exams they do, and if they schedule them in the morning or move the exam to earlier on in the season.
