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Nurseundercover Sun 02-Aug-26 03:46:39

Article in telegraph
^^Non-Muslim police staff invited to fast during Ramadan
West Midlands force says practice helps officers understand significance of religious festival for residents^^

I don’t believe one needs to experience a religion’s practice to understand the significance. This is on the back of the recent controversy about halal meat being served in schools and hospitals so as to accommodate specific faiths.
Whatever next, no blood transfusions so that we can experience the significance according to Jehovah, or wear a burka, not to mention experience “sharia law”.
I understood being British and living in a progressive society, with equal rights for all encourages free thinking so let us just be.

Meandrogrog Sun 02-Aug-26 05:47:17

I do not want to live in a Muslim country.

Where will these politicians be when it has all gone wrong?

You are quite right, just leave us be.

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 06:07:11

As usual with this type off thread, both the title and the content of the opening post are misleading, goady and use the intellectually vacuous slippery slope fallacious argument. Whenever there is no link provided, it usually means salient facts have been omitted - in this case even the Telegraph reports that this invitation has been made for a number of years. Somehow we seem to have survived that happening without refusing blood transfusions.

Vintagewhine Sun 02-Aug-26 08:24:23

Ramadan was in March, why post about it now Nurse undercover?

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 08:42:07

Vintagewhine

Ramadan was in March, why post about it now Nurse undercover?

It’s obvious isn’t it? And exactly why the Telegraph is running the story.

Graphite Sun 02-Aug-26 08:45:53

Yes indeed, Tuliptree.

It starts:

Non-Muslim officers and staff working at West Midlands Police have been invited to fast during Ramadan in an “act of solidarity”, The Telegraph can reveal.

The West Midlands Association of Muslim Police has said colleagues can take part in a fast for the day during the religious festival to raise money for charity.

Here's the article with the paywall removed:

archive.is/20260801230254/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/01/non-muslim-police-staff-invited-to-fast-during-ramadan#selection-3335.0-3343.159

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 08:51:38

How about actually trying to answer the point made by the OP?
Which in this case is one of the many crazy directives given to various institutions by think tanks or some weird government office for inclusivity.
You certainly don’t need to fast all day long to appreciate that it must be very difficult to do ( and dangerous for some as well) but that it’s part and parcel of somebody’s religion.
In this case it would be idiotic for the police to do when they often have a strenuous and active job to do.
These offers and ideas should just be sensibly ignored by the police or any other body.

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 08:52:46

Even ‘for charity’ that term often used in a blackmailing sort of way.

Fallingstar Sun 02-Aug-26 09:03:14

I imagine is voluntary and just for a day, is fine for those fasting to eat before sun up and after sun down so anyone doing this won’t faint away.
Is obvs an initiative to raise awareness of Ramadan and Islam more generally, but not sure it will achieve much except in serving as click bait on forums like this and so being counter productive.
In London near us the local Mosque has open days and invites all the community in to see what a mosque looks like and they operate a collection point for local food banks and have been running free initiatives for all children in a park with games and a bouncy castle. Quite often local Imams, Rabbis, and CofE Reverends get together and organise community projects.
But then these stories don’t get publicised.

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 09:03:49

Oreo

How about actually trying to answer the point made by the OP?
Which in this case is one of the many crazy directives given to various institutions by think tanks or some weird government office for inclusivity.
You certainly don’t need to fast all day long to appreciate that it must be very difficult to do ( and dangerous for some as well) but that it’s part and parcel of somebody’s religion.
In this case it would be idiotic for the police to do when they often have a strenuous and active job to do.
These offers and ideas should just be sensibly ignored by the police or any other body.

It’s not a crazy directive, it’s been an invitation issued for years and is now being weaponised by the Telegraph ,(which used to be a newspaper). As for anyone ( not just the police) working during Ramadan, there are a range of measures in place to accommodate this and I have yet to see any credible evidence of harm to the public of individuals themselves over the many many years Ramadan has been observed in the UK.

eazybee Sun 02-Aug-26 09:05:01

The point is, this ridiculous suggestion was made and apparently treated seriously.
Far too many concessions made on the grounds of 'faith', for certain religions but not all.

Galaxy Sun 02-Aug-26 09:06:32

I find it deeply patronising whether it has been done for years or not. The 'allies' do treat the groups they claim to champion in the most bizarre fashion.

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 09:07:55

Fallingstar - it’s been going for years without incident and maybe with positive results. But the Telegraph is just race baiting and clearly couldn’t find enough material for the current edition.

Franbern Sun 02-Aug-26 09:07:57

Fallingstar

I imagine is voluntary and just for a day, is fine for those fasting to eat before sun up and after sun down so anyone doing this won’t faint away.
Is obvs an initiative to raise awareness of Ramadan and Islam more generally, but not sure it will achieve much except in serving as click bait on forums like this and so being counter productive.
In London near us the local Mosque has open days and invites all the community in to see what a mosque looks like and they operate a collection point for local food banks and have been running free initiatives for all children in a park with games and a bouncy castle. Quite often local Imams, Rabbis, and CofE Reverends get together and organise community projects.
But then these stories don’t get publicised.

Just read and felt this needs to be repeated.
I have no religion, nor want one - but lovely to read of such initiatives as this.

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 09:10:13

eazybee

The point is, this ridiculous suggestion was made and apparently treated seriously.
Far too many concessions made on the grounds of 'faith', for certain religions but not all.

What’s the concessions? Issuing an invitation? Or are you referring to people being allowed to fast at all and that maybe it should be banned?

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 09:17:22

Who eats before sun up? Ridiculous idea and it isn’t anything to do with ‘race’ btw it’s religion isn’t it?
It’s another idea to promote the Muslim religion and I wonder how pressurised officers feel about this?
Where do you find Christian or Jewish or Hindu pressure to promote their faith in such a physical way among bodies such as the Police.
I don’t find it a lovely idea at all, in fact I find it a bit sinister hiding under the charity banner.

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 09:17:50

Eazybee spot on 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 09:19:57

Knowing it’s been going on for years doesn’t make it better, in fact it makes it worse.

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 09:26:43

Oreo

Knowing it’s been going on for years doesn’t make it better, in fact it makes it worse.

Why - perhaps you could give a link documenting what makes it worse?

NotSpaghetti Sun 02-Aug-26 09:27:08

eazybee

The point is, this ridiculous suggestion was made and apparently treated seriously.
Far too many concessions made on the grounds of 'faith', for certain religions but not all.

This is not a concession!

Nor is it a directive (given to various institutions by think tanks or some weird government office for inclusivity.) oreo.

How totally ridiculous!

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 09:42:00

In this case not by the usual directive from a government dept that doesn’t have much to occupy itself but by West Midlands Association of Muslim Police.
It just would be West Midlands Police wouldn’t it.
However my comment was written at the same time as Graphite wrote her/his comment on where this idea came from.

Oreo Sun 02-Aug-26 09:43:59

I sincerely hope that most West Midlands officers feel confident enough to ignore this ‘invitation’.

Tuliptree Sun 02-Aug-26 09:53:42

Oreo

I sincerely hope that most West Midlands officers feel confident enough to ignore this ‘invitation’.

Oh no, I’m sure they were all browbeaten, pressurised, bullied into fasting. There must have been a story in the DT/ DM every single year this happened .

Chestnut Sun 02-Aug-26 10:11:46

Religion shouldn't infiltrate the Police force or any other institution, and why should we need to understand one faith over any other? That's a question that needs answering.

Chestnut Sun 02-Aug-26 10:14:23

Tuliptree

Oreo

I sincerely hope that most West Midlands officers feel confident enough to ignore this ‘invitation’.

Oh no, I’m sure they were all browbeaten, pressurised, bullied into fasting. There must have been a story in the DT/ DM every single year this happened .

There are so many ways of pressurising people in the workplace, psychological bullying and being made to feel guilty or different from your colleagues.