Breast-feeding mother 'told to leave council headquarters because she would offend Muslim visitors

Wasn't sure where to put this. . . .

A mother was ordered not to breastfeed her baby in public because she was in a ‘multicultural building’.
Emma Mitchell, 32, was about to feed 19-week-old son Aaron when a receptionist at a town hall warned her to stop.
Last night Mrs Mitchell condemned council staff, saying it was time people recognised the law which allows nursing mothers to breastfeed in public.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

Now to be fair, they did reverse their decsion after she complained.

Last night councillor Shoab Akhtar, of Oldham Council, said: ‘We fully support the right of mothers to breastfeed their children and actively encourage it due to the long-term health benefits it provides.
‘Mrs Mitchell’s disappointing experience has highlighted the need to make all our staff fully aware of our policy and our legal requirements.
‘Staff will be trained in the coming days to ensure this never happens again, and we will be contacting Mrs Mitchell to apologise.

Did someone remind councillor Akhtar that it wasn't a sharia-law country? Have we gone over the edge with this politcal correctness sensitivity?


I just have to wonder how many times this is happening and it isn't making the news!

Cheers

Originally posted by beezzer
when a receptionist at a town hall warned her to stop.
Last night Mrs Mitchell condemned council staff,

Of course its always possible that it was just the receptionist making a mistake, thinking erronously that breastfeeding is banned, when it wasnt.

Do we have any evidence from anywhere that it was actually council policy the receptionist was enforcing?

The fact that the receptionist wasn't trained to say that. Shows how much of a PC culture we have become. She was so worried about offending some muslims over a hungry baby, ridiculous.. Well at least the council stated there position, and said it was a mistake.

reply to post by alfa1

No. Of couse the council wouldn't state that it was policy, but the intent was to protect Islamic sensibilities.
Even when it is law that allows women to breastfeed in public.

reply to post by beezzer


I know you've just copied the title of the article but it's important to point out that nowhere in the reported dialogue between the people there is there any mention of Muslims or Islam.

This was simply a case of the employees overreacting to a request they did not know how to handle. Anyway the council have apologised so no harm done.

Originally posted by Bixxi3
The fact that the receptionist wasn't trained to say that. Shows how much of a PC culture we have become. She was so worried about offending some muslims over a hungry baby, ridiculous.. Well at least the council stated there position, and said it was a mistake.

edit on 14-7-2011 by Bixxi3 because: (no reason given)

I wonder if they would have, if she hadn't complained.

reply to post by beezzer


Breast feeding is a beautiful and natural act. A mother should always have the right to breast feed when and wherever the baby requires it. If this woman hadn't of complained, her rights would have been unjustly trampled over by this curious desire to pander and bend to Islamic sensitivities... which by the way, do not supersede the laws of the country. This ain't the middle east. Someone may need to remind these PC'ers of that.

IRM

Originally posted by lifeissacred
reply to post by beezzer

 

I know you've just copied the title of the article but it's important to point out that nowhere in the reported dialogue between the people there is there any mention of Muslims or Islam.

This was simply a case of the employees overreacting to a request they did not know how to handle. Anyway the council have apologised so no harm done.

edit on 14-7-2011 by lifeissacred because: (no reason given)

A mother was ordered not to breastfeed her baby in public because she was in a ‘multicultural building’.

While true, I wonder what other "cultures" were occupying the building?

Originally posted by lifeissacred
reply to post by beezzer

 

I know you've just copied the title of the article but it's important to point out that nowhere in the reported dialogue between the people there is there any mention of Muslims or Islam.

This was simply a case of the employees overreacting to a request they did not know how to handle. Anyway the council have apologised so no harm done.

edit on 14-7-2011 by lifeissacred because: (no reason given)

Damn i keep forgetting that i need to be careful when reading anything they write. This is just there attempt at stirring up the racial stew that has become britain.

Originally posted by InfaRedMan
reply to post by beezzer

 

Breast feeding is a beautiful and natural act. A mother should always have the right to breast feed when and wherever the baby requires it. If this woman hadn't of complained, her rights would have been unjustly trampled over by this curious desire to pander and bend to Islamic sensitivities... which by the way, do not supersede the laws of the country. This ain't the middle east. Someone may need to remind them of that.

IRM

Too true! People scoff at the encroachment of Sharia in the western world, but it is there.

It just blows my mind that anyone can be offended at a mother breastfeeding her baby. No matter where you're from on the planet.

I don't remember people acting this way when I was young. It was just a normal part of life to see. It wasn't dirty, offensive, or sexual. It just was.

Our Lord is not offended by the naked female breast as it nurishes the child. Ignorance offends. Breast milk nurtures. The Cus Cus sect of the Holy Pastafarian Church makes the male wear the Burpa that hides his face and body from females. I shall pray to Saint Chef Boy R Dee for their immortal soles. Peace in Pasta.

I LOVE BOOBS.
Boobs are a beautiful thing.
Boobs will never offend me.
Feed your children mothers.
Who cares if feeding your beautiful children pisses off a few muslims.

The Title is a LIE

Nowhere does the article mention offending Muslims or Islamic sensibilities.

The DailyMail is a RAG, whose purpose is to cater to right wing conservative bigots. Some members seem extraordinarily drawn to this POS source.

If the story's not true, why start another Muslim hate thread?

reply to post by beezzer


I very much doubt it would have been a problem anyway, as she said in the article she asked for somewhere out of the way in the room, which I'm willing to bet wouldn't have 'offended' anyone.

Why is it that Muslims are never expected to be culturally sensitive to other groups?

This occurred in England, not Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps it's time that when you are immigrating to a nation that the nation has an expectation that you conform to the culture that is currently there rather than expecting the existing culture to change and be sensitive to your version of life.

What a frickin hit piece. They took this misunderstanding and used it for an agenda against Islam. This rag should go the way of News of the World.

Just a quick search for demographics of Oldham where the incident took place. . . .

Oldham, considered as a combination of the 2001 electoral wards of Alexandra,[54] Coldhurst,[55] Hollinwood,[56] St. James,[57] St. Marys,[58] St. Pauls,[59] Waterhead[60] and Werneth,[61] has an average age of 33.5, and compared against the average demography of the United Kingdom, has a high level of people of South Asian heritage, particularly those with roots in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

en.wikipedia.org...

Apologies for the use of Wiki. I just wanted to point out that this is not so much an islam bash-thread as much as it should be a "We're in our own country, sod off with what you think".

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

The Title is a LIE

Nowhere does the article mention offending Muslims or Islamic sensibilities.

You're right BH! It must have been them pesky Rastafarians, Jedis or Tibetan Monks in the building! We all know how much they object to, and like to cover the female form.

IRM

Originally posted by InfaRedMan
You're right BH! It must have been them pesky Rastafarians, Jedis or Tibetan Monks in the building! We all know how much they object to, and like to cover the female form.

IRM

Well, I guess we shouldn't let facts get in the way of sensationalistic drivel.