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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.
"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." Muslims and the Olympics. Munich. Posted by: mrp 2006-10-14 |
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