WHEN IN AMERICA

[Duchess]

A Muslim woman was prevented from going into a pool while wearing her Muslim dress. We all know what that looks like. Her question was "why do I have to be half naked to swim?" Seriously, is there anything wrong with just telling her that's how it's done in America?

[IroningBroad]

Hmm but isn't that some kind of discrimination? Based on her religious beliefs they can't wear shorts etc etc out in public or even the home I think.Did they prevent her from going in the pool because they were scared her (sari? ) would weigh her down and drown her?

I know they have special swimwear sites that sell swimming attire appropriate for Muslims.

Can she sue them for that or not?

[Duchess]

She was told that street clothes aren't allowed in the pool because they can increase the likelihood of contamination and waterborne illness.

If that is their standard policy I don't think she can sue but I don't really know the law in regards to this, it works in mysterious ways.

[IroningBroad]

Ah ok.I actually also thought about it being a hygiene factor but didn't want to sound like I was implying that people who wear saris etc were dirty people.I guess I can kind of understand the reasoning behind them asking her to not go in.But still..people wear regular bathing suits in pools and still pee and bring in germs so...idk.

[Maggot]

Those cheap Muslims will do anything to save a buck at the laundry.

[blueberryhill]

I am beginning to scare myself, cuz lately, I have talking more like a Repub than a Demo...gads! What the hell do we have to do, build a swimming pool to fir everyone's religion. I believe in diversity, but it shouldn't require building separate places of worship, separate pools, separate housing, etc. If people don't want to change to fit into another society, they should stay in their own country instead of building mini-countries in the middle of our cities and when they don't agree with our laws, they go ahead and run over their daughters for becoming too Westernized, etc....This is driving me crazy, if you come here, you need to abide by our rules and laws and excuse me, if we are a little paranoid about saris, burkas, turbans and such, but there just could be a bomb under that clothing. I had to get that off my chest......yes, I know I am generalizing, yes, I know I am discriminating against certain people, etc. I know we are a melting pot and so on, but it is getting a little too melted for my liking....No, damn it, you can't wear robes and whatever in the pool.

[Cutz]

She was told that street clothes aren't allowed in the pool because they can increase the likelihood of contamination and waterborne illness.

If anything, classifying a Burkha as 'street clothes' is pretty ethnically tolerant.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

So you let the muslims in the pool in what are clearly street clothes then you got to let everyone else in street clothes. This IS America, so you Know thats exactly what would be next, every jackass that thinks he needs to make a point will want to get in there in jeans and a shirt with sox. You already know some folks suck at laundry, what is it you suppose will be happening to th water in the pool? How about the additional cost to operate the pool, who pays for that? What about the liability issues? SO Bubba in his coveralls drowns because he can't swim all loaded down, now baby mona wants to sue the pool operator?
No, This is America, you want to swim in a public pool, wear a swim suit.

[Carsman]

I am beginning to scare myself, cuz lately, I have talking more like a Repub than a Demo...gads! What the hell do we have to do, build a swimming pool to fir everyone's religion. I believe in diversity, but it shouldn't require building separate places of worship, separate pools, separate housing, etc. If people don't want to change to fit into another society, they should stay in their own country instead of building mini-countries in the middle of our cities and when they don't agree with our laws, they go ahead and run over their daughters for becoming too Westernized, etc....This is driving me crazy, if you come here, you need to abide by our rules and laws and excuse me, if we are a little paranoid about saris, burkas, turbans and such, but there just could be a bomb under that clothing. I had to get that off my chest......yes, I know I am generalizing, yes, I know I am discriminating against certain people, etc. I know we are a melting pot and so on, but it is getting a little too melted for my liking....No, damn it, you can't wear robes and whatever in the pool.

Agree.
It used to be this country was a "melting pot", where all who came here "melted" into the same society. Not so any more.
Today, thanks to over zealous PR fanatics, anyone coming here that doesn't want to conform to the "custom's" of our country, so not to offend them, are allowed to deviate to customs of their country. It should be as it was: If you want to live in this country, "learn the language", "learn the laws", "conform to the customs of this country", "get a job, and pay taxes" or go the hell back form whence they came! The End!

[Duchess]

Parents across America tell their kids - my house, my rules. The same should apply to every single person who lives in the good ol' U S of A. If people want to live here it should be on them to acclimate themselves to how it's done here, not the other way around.

Can I tell you how fucking annoying it is to call a place of business and be told to press 1 for English. It makes my head spin. The preface should be directed at those who aren't Americans not at me who is.

[cannongal]

Political correctness has run amuck , and it's our own fault.

Somewhere along the line over the past 30 years, we went from "get over it" to "aww, poor baby, you should have to feel that way"

Don't get me wrong, school bullies fucking suck, but zero tolerance has gone way overboard. Instead of learning to deal with difficult or obnoxious situations, they're coddled to the point of being an invalid by the time they graduate.

Then someone pisses them off and they run to the news to get the attention that they used to get from the school.

Regarding the Burkha Woman though, if you go to any other Country in the world, you have to follow their rules, or you go to jail (and it definitely ain't a cushy cot and 3 squares a day). Why can't our country do that?

[Carsman]

It has been said before, It's all George Bush's fault.

[IroningBroad]

But America is not just caucasians.It's mexicans, arabs, chinese, european, etc etc. We're a
country of immigrants.Whether people like it or not.



So according to y'all to be American I have to always no matter what speak English, wear a bikini, because that's what being American is about and if not then I better go back to my own country..

People are not allowed to embrace their culture and if they do then they should go back to their own countries? Whaaa..

Talk about intolerance and ignorance at it's finest..

What is being "an American" according to.y'all?

[IroningBroad]

America is all cultures and all races..whether people like it or not.Just because someone is not white and doesn't wear what ypu wpuld consider American clothes does not mean they can't live here.Learn to be fucking tolerant because immigrants and their descendants aren't going away people.

And let me add I do agree with people learning to speak English.If you want to live here you at least have to learn to speak english.Just as I would have to learn spanish if moved to say Spain.But that doesn't mean i have to dress act and completely change my beliefs and values just because I live there.

[Duchess]

Talk about intolerance and ignorance at it's finest..

What is being "an American" according to.y'all?

Speaking only for myself - I don't have a problem with immigrants embracing their culture, religion or anything else that makes them uniquely them. My problem stems from those who come here and don't want to live by the laws of the land, those who do not make an effort to acclimate themselves nor learn the language. We speak English here and I have the expectation that those who want to live here will learn the language in order to communicate. Those are the people who should be pressing #1, not me. I could go further and talk about Sharia law, it has no place here, we live by American laws.

I wouldn't dare compare Mock to any of this but I will say that when new people register here it's up to them to acclimate to our site, it's not up to us to change things in order to make them feel comfortable. I have a take it or leave attitude about that the same way I have it about people who immigrate here.

[Carsman]

America is all cultures and all races..whether people like it or not.Just because someone is not white and doesn't wear what ypu wpuld consider American clothes does not mean they can't live here.Learn to be fucking tolerant because immigrants and their descendants aren't going away people.

And let me add I do agree with people learning to speak English.If you want to live here you at least have to learn to speak english.Just as I would have to learn spanish if moved to say Spain.But that doesn't mean i have to dress act and completely change my beliefs and values just because I live there.

Guess you have never seen on the news where any women from other countries when just "visiting" (not living there) Muslim countries having to wear burka's, cover the heads & or faces or legs to comply with muslum law!
Or else if they didn't these women would face harsh consequences in that country.

[F.U.]

Like the old saying goes. When in Rome, do as Romans.

[F.U.]

I wonder if this case from 2004 will have any effect on the outcome of this new case.

http://americancityandcounty.com/issue20...ublic-pool

A few points I pulled from that link.

The City of Omaha and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska announced today that they have reached a settlement in the lawsuit Lubna Hussein v. City of Omaha.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2004 on behalf of a Muslim woman who was not allowed to enter a public swimming pool last summer due to her religious clothing. The city policies in place at the time of the lawsuit did not permit anyone to enter a swimming pool unless they were wearing a bathing suit.

The parties announced today the City of Omaha has amended its policies to allow a variance in their dress code based on religious and/or medical needs.

The City has put a copy of the new dress code on its website, along with a copy of the form one should complete to obtain a waiver based on religious beliefs.

[Maggot]

Talk about intolerance and ignorance at it's finest..

What is being "an American" according to.y'all?

Speaking only for myself - I don't have a problem with immigrants embracing their culture, religion or anything else that makes them uniquely them. My problem stems from those who come here and don't want to live by the laws of the land, those who do not make an effort to acclimate themselves nor learn the language. We speak English here and I have the expectation that those who want to live here will learn the language in order to communicate. Those are the people who should be pressing #1, not me. I could go further and talk about Sharia law, it has no place here, we live by American laws.

I wouldn't dare compare Mock to any of this but I will say that when new people register here it's up to them to acclimate to our site, it's not up to us to change things in order to make them feel comfortable. I have a take it or leave attitude about that the same way I have it about people who immigrate here.

Those are my sentiments exactly. They came to us not the other way around I owe them nothing.

[IroningBroad]

America is all cultures and all races..whether people like it or not.Just because someone is not white and doesn't wear what ypu wpuld consider American clothes does not mean they can't live here.Learn to be fucking tolerant because immigrants and their descendants aren't going away people.

And let me add I do agree with people learning to speak English.If you want to live here you at least have to learn to speak english.Just as I would have to learn spanish if moved to say Spain.But that doesn't mean i have to dress act and completely change my beliefs and values just because I live there.

Guess you have never seen on the news where any women from other countries when just "visiting" (not living there) Muslim countries having to wear burka's, cover the heads & or faces or legs to comply with muslum law!
Or else if they didn't these women would face harsh consequences in that country.

But thankfully this is a free country where people can dress as they choose.