Don't Litter Pamphlets Offend Muslims

BINNED: Anti-litter poster that was an 'insult to Muslims'

MailOnline
A Labour council was at the  centre of a race row last night after printing a leaflet targeted at  Muslims that invoked the name  of Allah in urging them to stop  littering the streets.

Bradford City Council was accused of inciting racial hatred by publishing leaflets that showed rubbish-strewn pavements – and appeared to place the blame on Muslims.

The pamphlet, titled ‘Be proud of your environment’, used the Koran to lecture them about breaking the law and making a ‘horrible’ mess of the city. 

Offence: Bradford City Council (pictured) said a well-intentioned junior official came up with the idea to print the leaflets

It said: ‘We should respect Allah’s creations and the environments they live in. We should not act with ungratefulness by treating our surroundings with disrespect and throwing litter.’ 

It was aimed at an area of the city boasting a high concentration of Muslims and which the council says has a problem with messy streets. 

'The pamphlet said: ‘Muslims are able to pray anywhere in the world . . . we always have to keep our place of prayer clean – so why not start with the streets and neighbourhoods that we live in?’

Conservative councillor John Robertshaw said he was ‘mortified’ to discover 16,000  of the ‘full-colour, glossy’ leaflets.

‘If these had gone out, the council could have been charged with inciting racial hatred, suggesting that litter dropping is exclusive to, or more  prevalent among, Muslims,’ he said.

Answers: The council's Conservative opposition councillors are demanding an explanation for the printing of the leaflets

‘A leaflet encouraging people not  to drop litter, specifically targeting believers in Islam, is so outrageous that I still find it hard to believe that this has happened. 

'What next? Leaflets to individually alienate our Christian, Hindu and Buddhist residents?’

Last night, Ian Greenwood, the Labour leader of the council, admitted the idea had been insensitive and said that the leaflets had been withdrawn. 

He told The Mail on Sunday a ‘well-intentioned’ junior official came up with the idea.

‘It was stopped by senior officials who realised it would cause offence.’

Note To Self: Don't Get Sick ... And Never Go To A Hospital!

Muslim staff escape NHS hygiene rule

The Telegraph

Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed to opt out of strict hygiene rules introduced by the NHS to restrict the spread of hospital superbugs.

Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed to opt out of strict hygiene rules introduced by the NHS to restrict the spread of hospital superbugs. 

Female staff who follow the Islamic faith will be allowed to cover their arms to preserve their modesty despite earlier guidance that all staff should be "bare below the elbow".

The Department of Health has also relaxed rules prohibiting jewellery so that Sikh members of staff can wear bangles linked with their faith, providing they are pushed up the arm while the medic treats a patient.

The Mail on Sunday reported the change had been made after female Muslims objected to being required to expose their arm below the elbow under guidance introduced by Alan Johnson when he was health secretary in 2007.

The rules were drawn up to reduce the number of patients who were falling ill, and even dying, from superbugs such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

Revised guidance which relaxed the requirements for some religions was published last month.

Some Muslim staff and those from other groups may be allowed to use disposable plastic over-sleeves which cover their clothes below the elbow and allow the skin to remain covered up.

Derek Butler, chairman of MRSA Action UK, said: "My worry is that allowing some medics to use disposable sleeves you compromise patient safety because unless you change the sleeves between each patient, you spread bacteria.

"Scrubbing bare arms is far more effective."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The guidance is intended to provide direction to services in how they can balance infection control measures with cultural beliefs without compromising patient safety.