Fishy Pig Story

I was at mom’s yesterday and she happened to mention how Dudley council had banned their staff from having anything to do with pigs in their workplace so as not to offend Muslims.

Patronising daughter here patiently explained to poor misguided mother how these type of stories were almost always invention and myth. Don’t fall for this claptrap, I said, it’s all lies.

Then I went to Harry’s Place today and found they had posted on this article.

At first it seemed I owed my long suffering mother an apology. But then, you know what? Thinking about it, I just feel there’s something fishy smelling about it, like there is with all of these sort of “political correctness gone mad” stories.

But I don’t know which bit stinks.

Firstly, I’m thinking any Muslim who finds pigs offensive because of their religion is surely ill-advised. Not being able to eat pigs is not the same as being offended by them, surely?

Secondly, and confusingly, at the same time I also find it hard to believe that anybody would actually make a serious complaint about pigs in the office. Thinking of all the Muslims I’ve worked with and the ones I knock around with, it just seems bizarre.

Thirdly, I can’t believe that Dudley council would have taken any complaint, seriously made or not, and gone to the silly lengths to ban all pigs, rather than just taken the stress-relieving pig (I’m curious) off the complainer and promised not to give them one again.

Fourthly, the agenda of a press story like this? Look how we have to bend over backwards for them Muslims.

Reading the Harry’s Place comments this afternoon (there were about 100 when I read it, there are probably more now), this piqued my interest:

Jazz says:

"It's almost as though the BNP planted someone in the council to do this thing with the aim of creating anger amongst white christians against these uppity "ethnics". Because that's what the predictable outcome was. What matters in this toy pig case is not the actual complainant, who is a buffoon, but what the silent muslim majority feel about this. If they secretly endorse it, then we've got problems. From the muslims i know, i'm sure they would regard it as absurd… but they need to find a voice and quickly. Because they and other non-muslim asians like me are the ones who will feel the resentment stories like this create and are seized upon by the BNP and such like."

And Sean Fear adds:

"A thought which has often crossed my mind. IIRC Dudley does have one BNP councillor, and a big BNP vote in certain wards. This is a splendid publicity coup for them."

As I’ve said before on this blog, I’m crap at conspiracy theories, but I think I’ve been fed a line and on the end of it is one big stinky fish.