Don't put the bible on the top shelf
In a post a few days ago, responding to an excellent article by Imtiaz Ameen, I wrote about the problems which can be caused when people who are not themselves muslims manage to be "More Islamic than the Ayatollah." Sometimes, bending over backwards to avoid causing offence, people with good intentions go further than British muslims themselves actually want to avoid offending them.
Sometimes, as with the vast majority of attempts to block or rename celebrations of Christmas, the problem is atheists who have a hidden agenda of attacking religion in general as well as Christianity in particular, and who use "diversity" as an excuse.
In practice the law of unintended consequences comes into play, and the actual effect is not to reduce religious observance but to boost racism and fascism. Whenever an attack on Christian observance can be blamed, however unfairly, on muslims it does great harm to race relations and is a gift to groups like the BNP.
This week we have another group of well-meaning idiots going further than muslims have asked for in an attempt to respect their wishes and in the process infuriating everyone else.
According to the Daily Mail here, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, a quango answering to Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, has issued guidance to libraries that all holy books of all faiths should be placed on the top shelves.
This appears to be a response to Muslims in Leicester who had asked for the Koran to be placed on the top shelf because "it should be put above commonplace things."
Apparently the city’s librarians consulted the Federation of Muslim Organisations and were advised that all religious texts should be kept on the top shelf.
‘This meant that no offence is caused, as the scriptures of all the major faiths are given respect in this way, but none is higher than any other,’ the guidance added.
It is not the city of Leicester's Muslims who are at fault in this matter. They were asked for an honest opinion and they gave it, and it is obvious that they wanted the holy books of all religions to be treated with what they see as equal respect.
However, before issuing national guidance on the matter, did the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council think to consult either the other religions whose holy books they were proposing to move, or for that matter, Muslims in other parts of the country besides Leicester ?
If they had done so, they would have swiftly found that Christians do not see putting the bible on the top shelf as either a gesture of respect or a good idea. The cultural association of the top shelf in this country is that it is where newsagents put pornography to keep it out of the reach of children.
And Christians want the bible to be readily available to read, not an object of veneration to be kept out of reach. As Canon Chris Sugden, of the Anglican Mainstream movement, was quoted by the Mail as saying:
‘This does appear to be a reversion to medieval times, when the Bible could be read only by priests in Latin and was not to be defiled by ordinary people reading it.
‘The principle to be challenged is that there is a certain way in which one must treat all holy books.
‘The Bible is readily available, and it would not be difficult to have more than one copy, with some on display within the reach of children.’
And indeed, there is no evidence that a policy of letting each religion make representations as to where its' own holy books should go would offend muslims. Inayat Bunglawala, of the Engage think tank, which encourages Muslims to play a greater role in public life, said:
‘If Muslims wish to see the Koran placed on a higher shelf, and library rules say it should be there, then that is a welcome and considerate gesture.
‘But one size does not fit all. If Christians do not want to see the Bible treated in the same way, I do not see why it has to be dealt with the same.’
If Muslims want the Koran placed on the top shelf, let their wishes be respected. If Christians want the Bible placed where anyone can get it, their wishes should be respected too. Let the reasonable requests of any other faith be honoured in a similar way. And if there is no evidence that a particular faith has expressed concern about which library shelf their holy book is displayed on, then for heavens sake leave them where they are.
Sometimes, as with the vast majority of attempts to block or rename celebrations of Christmas, the problem is atheists who have a hidden agenda of attacking religion in general as well as Christianity in particular, and who use "diversity" as an excuse.
In practice the law of unintended consequences comes into play, and the actual effect is not to reduce religious observance but to boost racism and fascism. Whenever an attack on Christian observance can be blamed, however unfairly, on muslims it does great harm to race relations and is a gift to groups like the BNP.
This week we have another group of well-meaning idiots going further than muslims have asked for in an attempt to respect their wishes and in the process infuriating everyone else.
According to the Daily Mail here, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, a quango answering to Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, has issued guidance to libraries that all holy books of all faiths should be placed on the top shelves.
This appears to be a response to Muslims in Leicester who had asked for the Koran to be placed on the top shelf because "it should be put above commonplace things."
Apparently the city’s librarians consulted the Federation of Muslim Organisations and were advised that all religious texts should be kept on the top shelf.
‘This meant that no offence is caused, as the scriptures of all the major faiths are given respect in this way, but none is higher than any other,’ the guidance added.
It is not the city of Leicester's Muslims who are at fault in this matter. They were asked for an honest opinion and they gave it, and it is obvious that they wanted the holy books of all religions to be treated with what they see as equal respect.
However, before issuing national guidance on the matter, did the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council think to consult either the other religions whose holy books they were proposing to move, or for that matter, Muslims in other parts of the country besides Leicester ?
If they had done so, they would have swiftly found that Christians do not see putting the bible on the top shelf as either a gesture of respect or a good idea. The cultural association of the top shelf in this country is that it is where newsagents put pornography to keep it out of the reach of children.
And Christians want the bible to be readily available to read, not an object of veneration to be kept out of reach. As Canon Chris Sugden, of the Anglican Mainstream movement, was quoted by the Mail as saying:
‘This does appear to be a reversion to medieval times, when the Bible could be read only by priests in Latin and was not to be defiled by ordinary people reading it.
‘The principle to be challenged is that there is a certain way in which one must treat all holy books.
‘The Bible is readily available, and it would not be difficult to have more than one copy, with some on display within the reach of children.’
And indeed, there is no evidence that a policy of letting each religion make representations as to where its' own holy books should go would offend muslims. Inayat Bunglawala, of the Engage think tank, which encourages Muslims to play a greater role in public life, said:
‘If Muslims wish to see the Koran placed on a higher shelf, and library rules say it should be there, then that is a welcome and considerate gesture.
‘But one size does not fit all. If Christians do not want to see the Bible treated in the same way, I do not see why it has to be dealt with the same.’
If Muslims want the Koran placed on the top shelf, let their wishes be respected. If Christians want the Bible placed where anyone can get it, their wishes should be respected too. Let the reasonable requests of any other faith be honoured in a similar way. And if there is no evidence that a particular faith has expressed concern about which library shelf their holy book is displayed on, then for heavens sake leave them where they are.
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