First McDonalds, now Butlins

[stockhausen]

A security guard at McDonalds recently decided that someone wearing a hijab might pose a security threat.
Butlins have now announced that wearing a hijab might pose a health and safety threat:

The first three days of Moammer Nasser's family holiday at Butlins in Minehead went fine. They were able to use the fairground rides and all the facilities on site freely.

However, on the fourth day, whilst he and his 16 year old daughter were waiting in the queue for the Dodgems ride, the ride attendant stopped them and said his daughter wasn’t allowed on the ride as she was wearing a head scarf.

Mr. Nasser disagreed with the attendantm and asked to speak to the manager. He called the rides supervisor and the fairgrounds manager and both said that it was a health and safety hazard and as a result his daughter was not allowed on any rides.

Both cases smack of discrimination on racial or religious grounds. In the interests of avoiding any question of discrimination would the UK be wisest to follow lead of the secular French and ban the wearing of all religious items in public?

[LINK] for those who have difficulties with Google.

 

[Maccy]

Sauce?

 

[skyripper]

Velcro detachable head gear would solve this. Cheaper than changing the law and all the social chaos ensuing.

 

[Sliver]

Sauce?

Yes, I'll have ketchup please.

Can OP link to a credible source please?

 

[Uther]

Sounds like a H & S issue to me if true.

 

[Avenged7Fold]

In the interests of avoiding any question of discrimination would the UK be wisest to follow lead of the secular French and ban the wearing of all religious items in public?

So i can't wear a cross or a kipah walking down the street in Paris?

Banning religious items because they are religious still is discrimination. Banning items both religious and non religious for reasons such as security or safety is not, so long as it is consistent.

 

[Sliver]

The hijab covers the hair. I struggle to see why this warrants a ban. People wear hats after all yet they are not subject to a ban. The niqab however covers the face and I can see this being a problem in certain places and circumstances and may warrant a ban. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[SPG]

All for banning it everywhere tbh.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Link for those wanting a source:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/butlins-faces-legal-action-over-dodgems-hijab-ban

“Nasser complained and asked to see a policy banning hijabs at Butlins. He asked why others wearing various forms of scarves and headgear had not been similarly banned from using the dodgems on the same grounds.”

It goes on to talk about their being a policy regarding “loose” clothing and so on. Sounds like it could be inconsistent application of an otherwise sensible policy.

 

[VincentHanna]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/butlins-faces-legal-action-over-dodgems-hijab-ban

Nasser complained and asked to see a policy banning hijabs at Butlins. He asked why others wearing various forms of scarves and headgear had not been similarly banned from using the dodgems on the same grounds.

“I was shown a safety code which stated that some disabled guests or those with physical injuries may not be able to use rides safely,” Nasser said. “But wearing a hijab is not a disability or a physical injury.

No, of course headscarves should not be banned.You would upset a lot of old ladies if you did that.

OP - The French have NOT banned headscarves in public, you have completely misunderstood their law.

In France, If you work for or visit a Government institution, you are not allowed to wear religious iconography including christian crosses, the Jewish Kippah (headcap) etc.

 

[plasmahal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-24804978

Suzanne Cornwell, 18, from Hardwick, died after her scarf became tangled in a kart at Caxton in December 2009.

 

[Thekwango]

Sauce?

Yes, I'll have ketchup please.

Can OP link to a credible source please?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/butlins-faces-legal-action-over-dodgems-hijab-ban

Edit: beaten to it.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Link for those wanting a source:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/butlins-faces-legal-action-over-dodgems-hijab-ban

Cheers.

Looks to be discrimination to me.

Nasser complained and asked to see a policy banning hijabs at Butlins. He asked why others wearing various forms of scarves and headgear had not been similarly banned from using the dodgems on the same grounds.

“I was shown a safety code which stated that some disabled guests or those with physical injuries may not be able to use rides safely,” Nasser said. “But wearing a hijab is not a disability or a physical injury.

“During our stay at the resort there was another lady who was wearing a scarf around her neck and was allowed on the rides; many people were wearing hoods and the tie strings were hanging … yet they were still allowed on the rides,” Nasser said.

 

[Thekwango]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-24804978

Suzanne Cornwell, 18, from Hardwick, died after her scarf became tangled in a kart at Caxton in December 2009.

I was also going to post that I remember a couple of years ago being at a local travelling fairground and a couple beside us being refused access to the dogems as the fella refused to remove his scarf when asked to by the attendant.

 

[Vonhelmet]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-24804978

Suzanne Cornwell, 18, from Hardwick, died after her scarf became tangled in a kart at Caxton in December 2009.

Sounds like a different sort of scarf to me...

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen anyone in a hijab, but they’re not really all that loose and flappy.

 

[antijoke]

It's not discrimination at all, facts are it's dangerous and could cause serious injury if it got caught on something.

Don't see the issue to be honest.

 

[VincentHanna]

It's not discrimination at all, facts are it's dangerous and could cause serious injury if it got caught on something.

Don't see the issue to be honest.

What's it going to get caught on in Dodgems? It's not a long flowing thing.

If that is the attitude, you might as well ban people with long hair!

Anyway, I thought people usually complained about "Health and Safety gone mad"

Or is that only involving White Anglo Saxons?

 

[Vonhelmet]

It's not discrimination at all, facts are it's dangerous and could cause serious injury if it got caught on something.

Don't see the issue to be honest.

Assuming the hijab was loose enough to get caught on something, which itself seems a bit of a stretch, why is the policy not equally applied to others with loose garments? That’s where the discrimination happens.

 

[antijoke]

What's it going to get caught on in Dodgems? It's not a long flowing thing.

I know it's not, but things can go south quickly, what if it unfurled a little and got caught on the dodgem or something?

Yes, we are dealing with what-ifs, but that's what those kinds of decisions are based on.

Assuming the hijab was loose enough to get caught on something, which itself seems a bit of a stretch, why is the policy not equally applied to others with loose garments? That’s where the discrimination happens.

We basing that on the words of the father alone with zero evidence of other people riding the dodgems with loose articles of clothing like scarves?

 

[Chris Wilson]

Sounds like another semi pro troublemaker on the look out for some compo and media attention to me. Ban this damned medieval attire altogether and end this lucrative and vexatious legal madness.