Police hold Eid Mela for women
Saturday 10th October 2009, 9:43AM BST.
Telford police are holding a Women’s Eid Mela in Shropshire to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
The Eid Mela, a festival celebrating Muslim culture, will kick off in Wellington on Sunday at the Equal Centre on Regent Street.
It will take place from noon to 3pm and is open to women and children from across the borough.
Constable Sam Anderson, local police officer for Arleston and College, has helped organise the event.
He said: “The aim of the event is to provide a fun day and give women the chance to meet friends and find out about local services in an informal and relaxed environment.”
If you would like more information on the event, contact West Mercia Police on (01952) 216556 or telephone the Equal Centre on (01952) 256656.
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Will the police be organising something similar to celebrate St Georges Day?
That way both men, women and South African athletes, who are either not religious or practice Babism, the Baha’i Faith, Christianity, Gnnosticism, Islam, Judaism, Rastifari, Mandaen, Sabianism, Samaratanism, Unitarian Universlism, Hinduism, Buddism, Jainim, Sikhism, Ayyavazhi, Confucianism, Shinto and Taoism could all have a jolly time at the tax-payers expense.
PS I would like to apologise for any religious nominations I have missed off except Scientologists.
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Would we be called racist if we held a christian day ? I THINK SO !!!
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What a waste of public money, next thing the Chief Constable will be saying he has not got enough money for policing the area.
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Lucy W
I’m sure if all the faiths you cite (in a juvenile attempt to sound clever, although you also managed to mention Islam) were represented in significant numbers – and practiced their religion as opposed to just claiming it – the police would do similar for the sake of community spirit. North Telford is the only part of Shropshire with a significant Asian population. The police are merely being decent – now there’s a concept for you Lucy W – to those in the community they deal with.
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Don’t we all accept and worship God ?
Different faiths may have different ideas but we all look to the same God, Lucy, grow up and stop trying to be clever and stir a racial issue.
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Hats off to the police – well done. Celebrating the many cultures that make up the world is a good thing and the more the majority/establishment opens it’s arms to other world views the more we have a chance of getting along.
No, it wouldn’t be racist to hold a Christian day as Christians can be of any race (just as police can be Muslim). There are several Christian festivals that are openly celebrated – Easter, Christmas – nobody cries racism for those do they?
No, we don’t all accept and worship God. I don’t and neither do all religions (Buddhists for a start) – But I know what you meant, I’m just being awkward.
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I fail to see why this is a problem? So what if the Police are making a bit of an effort to encourage better harmony between races? Most of the time people are complaining of the lack of Police involvement, now because they are getting involved they are still bitching.(some people have nothing better to do I presume) I personally have no need for religion however I worship my wife, she is the only idol I need.
Each to their own chosen faith and live and let live I say.
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What a waste of taxpayer’s money!
How about the police organise a social event for our brave troops and their families who are based here in Shropshire? – But then again, that wouldn’t be politically correct enough, would it.
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Steven said:
“Don’t we all accept and worship God ?”
….NO! Many people (myself included) are atheists, and don’t see why events like this should be funded from the public purse.
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Well that will be another tick in another box won’t it. No doubt the officer in question will be highlghted for immediate promotion.
Get real West Mercia, do what you are paid for; this is a complete and utter waste of time, money and effort, but done to appease the politically correct brigade.
How about this for a brand new wheez :-
Try putting on proper Uniform, complete with helmet, polished shoes, and actually WALKING the streets, and even stop to TALK to the memebers of the public;now wouldn’t that be a novelty!!!!!
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The article reads:
Constable Sam Anderson, local police officer
said:
“The aim of the event is to provide a fun day and give women the chance to meet friends and find out about local services in an informal and relaxed environment.
Can anyone explain exactly how this is a police affair?
Yes -
Of COURSE the police should patrol the local community, (i.e involve themselves within it) and find out WHO does WHAT, WHERE and WHEN.
But that’s completely different.
That involves being on the beat, speaking to everyone irrespective of their religious or otherwise beliefs.
The whole point is that: the police are there to uphold the law, and protect all parts of the community, and by dilligent use of their time, detect those who are committing crime.
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I think it was ‘Blessed are the cheesemakers.’
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@Simon “the police would do similar for the sake of community spirit”
You imply that they would do the same for other communities that were as enthusiastic about their beliefs for the sake of community spirit.
Thats not true!
This weekend we had our apple day and I didn’t see one police office getting drunk with us on cider. (but plenty of health and safety -no apple bobbing, no more bring your own containers to fetch juice, entry price hiked to cover new insurance, laboratory testing fees etc)
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This event was a very good idea – it was geared to a specific sector of the community that is often kept ‘under lock and key’ so to say. How many other opportunities would there be for the police to interact with these women?
@Lucy: I am disappointed with your comment, of all the religions you list, the only other one that desperately needs an event like this with relaxed safe environment to interact with police would be the Scientologists!
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I agree with holding such events to promote understanding but I don’t feel it is the remit of the police to be doing it but the local authorities
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Marco, funny you should mention apple bobbing. When I was in pony club, we used to charge our ponys up and down, jumping on and off them to ‘bob’ apples. Often the ponies used to get so excited you couldn’t control them and had to let go and watch them charge into the crowd of onlookers.
It was all part of the fun before we had Fun Police also known as Health & Safety. My friend’s pony went through the rear window of a Range Rover as we still laugh about it today.
The Pony Club was a non-religious organisation and so it didn’t recieve any funding from the police by the way.
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Lucy W, you actually think it’s funny that your pony went through a Range Rover window? Presumably you were the sort of child(and are the sort of adult perhaps?) that thinks it’s OK that an animal could injure itself as long as you’re having fun?
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Right it falls to the voice of reason to clear this up.
The police are paid taxpayers money to prevent crime and keep the streets safe.
Holding a party for whatever religious group does not achieve this, so should not be happening. If a party is required it should be funded by the religious body concerned either through charity fundraising or applying for a grant to central government.
Problem sorted.
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KB, lighten up a bit! Have you never watched and had a giggle at those TV shows with Chimps in zoos falling off their climbing frames?
It wasn’t the pony that was so funny, it was the woman the car having hysterics that was funny.
I’m sure this years Pamplona Bull Run was more your cup of tea. Runners 0, Bulls 1
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For Nelson who states that he thinks this is a “Waste of taxpayers money”
Are we then to presume that not one single Muslim pays tax in this country? Of course they do! Stop letting your prejudice cloud your thinking.
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In general I’m not in favour of the police doing too much ‘touchy-feely’ stuff. However in this case I can see a good secondary reason for this event having been organised.
The nature of many religions is one of control, and, more specifically in the case of most religions, control of women. At the extremes of this we have seen recent cases of so-called ‘honour killings’, and there is a continued problem of ‘forced’ arranged marriages. Both of these are acknowledged as problems by the vast majority of moderate Muslims, and it’s therefore important that the police should take advantage of public events to get the message across that a) such things are not legal or acceptable and b) that women have the same access to the services and protection of the police as men.
I don’t believe in any Gods, but I do believe that all sections of our community should have equal access to our public services, and if this helps with knowledge of that, then it’s fine by me.
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Luke 5:27-29
[27] After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him…..
[29] Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house….
So there’s nothing new about the tax-man organising relgious get-togethers.
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No, Lucy W, I don’t find humiliating or hurting animals fun in any way.
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