UK Muslims offended by police advert featuring a cute puppy. No comment on kittens.

[petarkb]

If you think they're overreacting to puppies, wait until they broadcast an ad with pigs.

[Scooby5]

Isn't Babe banned on British TV yet, certainly is on Malaysian TV?

[Blind_Io]

FOLLOW UP:

Original story was pulled out of some guy's ass.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2...11590817t0.asp

CLAIMS THAT a promotional police postcard featuring a puppy is offensive to members of the Islamic community have been dismissed by one of Dundee’s leading Muslims.

A storm of controversy erupted yesterday after a report in The Courier revealed that some members of the Islamic community have complained about the postcard.

Dundee councillor Mohammed Asif claimed the postcard, advertising Tayside Police’s new non-emergency telephone number, could offend some Muslims because it features a black German shepherd dog sitting in a police officer’s hat.

It is understood some Muslims have been upset by the image because in Islam dogs are generally considered unclean and cannot be kept as pets— although they can be kept as guard dogs or for hunting.

The postcards, which were produced in late spring, have been distributed to homes and businesses across Dundee to raise awareness of the telephone number.

Tayside Police has since apologised for failing to run the seemingly innocuous ad by their diversity advisers after Councillor Asif raised the issue at a meeting of the Tayside joint police board.
But Mr Asif’s comments have won little support among the public or Dundee’s Islamic community.
Last night Mahmud Sarwar, trustee of the Scottish Islamic and Cultural Centre and the Dura Street mosque, appealed for calm. He said he had no problems with the postcard and called on homeowners and local businesses to display them as it is in the public interest.
“I’ve not heard anything about that from members of the community,” Mr Sarwar said. “I was round some shops today and at the mosque and nobody has said anything about it.” Mr Sarwar said that religious sensitivities would prevent him from displaying the postcard on a building of religious significance but there was nothing to stop them being displayed in shops.

“There is not a dog—it is just a picture,” he said. Mr Sarwar also queried whether the concerns raised by Councillor Asif belonged to him or his constituents. “Maybe that is his own thinking—everyone has the right to say things regarding their own wishes,” he said.

The controversy erupted when Councillor Asif said he was concerned the cards would not be welcomed in all communities and had been a waste of police resources. The issue has generated intense interest from people across the region and beyond, many of whom contacted The Courier to express their point of view.
One concerned resident said, “The story mentioned that Muslim-owned shops and convenience stores were rejecting the card due to the fact that it had a picture of a puppy on it and that Muslims found this offensive as they deem dogs to be ‘unclean.’

“Surely these cannot be the same Muslim-owned shops which have dog food cans and packets on the shelves and bacon and pork sausages in the chill cabinet with the pictures of happy pups and contented porkers beaming from the packaging?” A resident from Wolseley Street, Dundee, said, “I have always endeavoured to be considerate to others regardless of race, colour, creed, etc. “However I am amazed at the reaction Mohammed Asif expresses. “Many of the shops he mentions—if not all—sell dog food, complete with graphic labels. Should they not wish for whatever reason to support an initiative by our local police, so be it.”

Steve Ross, of Fleming Gardens, said, “Tayside Police may be forced to spend valuable funds on changing the postcard they have produced to advertise their new non-emergency phone number because a certain section of the community consider a dog to be dirty—just let’s get on with our lives and preserve British culture.

“As a cat owner I don’t care too much for dogs but I do about the spending of what I assume to be public money to pacify a few.” After reading about it on The Courier website, Eileen McInally, from Santa Monica, California, was prompted to write, “This story is absolutely unbelievable—what wrong have the police done?
“How can anyone find an image of a dog offensive? Absolutely no apology is necessary.
“The complainers should be reminded that Britain is a Christian country, full of people who love dogs.”
Cheers, an off-licence on Campfield Square, Broughty Ferry, which is owned and operated by Muslims, has not been given the postcards to display or distribute.

Shop assistant Irza Saeed said, however, Cheers would be happy to have the postcards featuring police-dog-in-training Rebel and advertising the new contact number for non-emergency calls to the police.
“We have a lot of customers of different cultures and religions but we are owned by Muslims and the workers are Muslim,” Miss Saeed said.

“I don’t feel that I’d be especially concerned or upset if we were given the postcards to distribute or that there would be anything wrong with that. However, it is part of Islam that we don’t have dogs around us.
“Most of our people are afraid of dogs but we try not to make a big deal of it.”
German shepherd Rebel has generally proved a popular recruit for the force, with huge numbers of people reading his online training diary on the Tayside Police website. He is yet to mention the current furore online.
A police spokesman said last night, “Rebel only features in this particular campaign.
“Rebel has proved extremely popular with the public in Tayside, Scotland, throughout the UK and abroad.
“The force will continue to keep the public up to date with his progress through the Puppy Diary on the force website.”

When asked if the controversy would affect the way Tayside Police promoted its public image in future the spokesman said, “As we have already stated, it was an oversight on this occasion that the diversity adviser was not consulted. “The postcards and posters are already in circulation and there are no plans to have them withdrawn. “However, we already had alternative designs and are looking at the possibility of making those available for anyone who deems the current design to be unsuitable.”

The Courier tried to contact Mr Asif last night but he was unavailable for comment.

[LeVeL]

Oh news stories... there's always more to them

[Vector]

Esspecially ones from the internet.

[Labcoatguy]

Ah ha, so it's not the average Muslim on the street that's offended, just a rabble-rousing politician looking for that pivotal issue to get on the front page. I wonder how many of the Daily Mail-style "a minority is pissed off" stories are actually like this.

[chaos386]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

FOLLOW UP:

Original story was pulled out of some guy's ass.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2...11590817t0.asp

Originally Posted by Crazyjeeper

+1

When will people realize they don't have a right to never be offended?

Originally Posted by LeVeL

I've said it before and I'll say it again: religion is bullcrap and leads to dumb stories like this one. You don't like the puppy being on the card? Fine, throw the card out and stfu, no one is forcing you to frame it and keep it next to your bed.
Next week on the news: athiest sues christian man for wearing a crucifix around his neck - its offensive.

Originally Posted by watto

HA! What a farce. I agree with Blind_Io, sure, the fact thats dogs are habitually unclean may be a part of their beliefs, and I respect that, but this ad isn't going to be shown in a place where their beliefs rule. It's an ad for a Scottish Police force and that dog is damn cute, so why the hate??

Originally Posted by Scooby5

Oh good grief, my home town

Little wonder my parents are desperate to leave and i am completely with your sentiments 100% - as are my parents. Expats living and moving to the Middle East must abide by local laws and customs without expecting government to change things just to suit them.

If things there DO change it is usually voluntarily done by goverments to lure people in to work, or hold onto them not because complaints have been raised that "I can't eat pork, it's against my human rights" or similar such BS. Rules/Laws are in place long before we move and settle so each time i have moved i've looked at such detail and seen if there are complications. Okay so there's nothing excessively devisive but i have had to adjust my own living style from time to time to stay within strange local laws or customs.

Don't see why it shouldn't be a two way street.

Originally Posted by Crazyjeeper

ATTENTION IMMIGRANTS: If you don't like something about a country, instead of bitching and moaning and trying to force the native population to change to accommodate some silly tradition.

The door is right here

Originally Posted by Shadowness

lol, this made me laugh. I be they made that advert thinking, yeh thats good, its not offensive or anything. And then......tada!

Things like this really make me laugh, its like the people who tried to change baa baa black sheep to something else. FUK OFF! thats our tradition, you learnt that as kids! If you dont like it, then fuk off back to where you came from! SIMPLE!

Originally Posted by petarkb

If you think they're overreacting to puppies, wait until they broadcast an ad with pigs.

*folds arms and taps foot*

I'm waiting.

[MacGuffin]

Next thing that will offend muslims is that pork of "unclean" pigs is displayed openly in butcher shops.

Sometimes I wonder if those who are complaining about such things are not aware of the fact, that they are actually damaging their position in the fight against prejudices towards muslims.

What really makes me angry is that the freedom, tolerance and consideration muslims expect (and get) on their behalf in Western countries, is not reflected in any way, when you are a Christian visitor or resident in an Islamic country. If you are there, it is expected as a matter of course that you respect, follow and adapt the Islamic rules there - or you can get into real trouble.

Am I the only one who thinks that tolerance and consideration is not a one-way street?

If someone does not agree with the habits and traditions in the country he immigrated to and feels offended by them, he may leave whenever he wants.

[anti-net]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

FOLLOW UP:

Original story was pulled out of some guy's ass.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2...11590817t0.asp

Avoid posting Daily Mail stories. its known as the "Daily Hate" to some in the UK, its sort of polite racism, it makes out that its a broadsheet like The Times or The Independent but its no more than tabloid bullocks. During the 1930s they were supporters of Oswald Mosley's (Max's old man) British Union of Facists.

The scary thing is it is the 2nd best selling newspaper in Britain, and the first is The Sun! (Great stories on page 3 btw)

[chaos386]

Originally Posted by anti-net

Avoid posting Daily Mail stories. its known as the "Daily Hate" to some in the UK, its sort of polite racism, it makes out that its a broadsheet like The Times or The Independent but its no more than tabloid bullocks. During the 1930s they were supporters of Oswald Mosley's (Max's old man) British Union of Facists.

The scary thing is it is the 2nd best selling newspaper in Britain, and the first is The Sun! (Great stories on page 3 btw)

+ YouTube Video

If the Daily Mail is Alan Partridge's favorite newspaper, I think that speaks volumes about it.

[jayhawk]

I stopped trusting the American media in September, 2005.

I will now never believe a word from the UK media from this day forward.

Extreme? Yes. But I for one am fed up with supposed "objective" journalists who are anything but. All forms of mass media now a days create news via speculation and polls.

[anti-net]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

I stopped trusting the American media in September, 2005.

I will now never believe a word from the UK media from this day forward.

Extreme? Yes. But I for one am fed up with supposed "objective" journalists who are anything but. All forms of mass media now a days create news via speculation and polls.

The BBC are _quite_ trustworthy, they use to be solid, you could always count on the BBC to give a unbiased view of the world events. But that's gone a bit tits up to be honest!

[Posmo]

The muslims have no right to be offended by ANYTHING in a country they Emigrated into, especially if you look at the crime statistics.. Have a look yourself: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdf....pdf:mad::mad:

[Scooby5]

Originally Posted by chaos386

*folds arms and taps foot*

I'm waiting.

Only proves we were all right......... again.

And it looks like since the story first appeared on the front page of The Courier it will be the dear old councilor that has the problem, not any of the rest of us.

[cameraman288]

wow


wtf???

[chaos386]

Originally Posted by Scooby5

Only proves we were all right......... again.

And it looks like since the story first appeared on the front page of The Courier it will be the dear old councilor that has the problem, not any of the rest of us.

It's more about how quite a few people in this thread went off complaining about how whiny the Muslim immigrants are, when none of them actually complained about the advertisement.