At least they tried...
Google found this article for me today. The article refers to a "National Muslim Fun Day" being planned for September 17th at Alton Towers, a park in central England. The day was to be a day where Muslim families could come and enjoy the park in a way that would be in line with their beliefs. Separate male/female rides, halal food, and a dress code required for all people attending the park that day.
I really think this was an awesome idea. According to the article, England is home to 1.7 Muslims (3.4% of the population). This is an amazing gesture that other countries I believe would do well to consider. I found some varied responses to the event from the Muslim community:
http://www.islamicaweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52155
http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/2068
http://maniacmuslim.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8342
oh and this one rather pissed me off: http://islamophobic.blogspot.com/2006/07/muslim-only-day-at-uk-theme-park.html
The event was cancelled, however. Islamic Leisure, the organization planning the event, was unable to sell the idea and Muslim Fun Day was cancelled due to lack of interest. I am highly disappointed by this. But, nonetheless, it was a great idea. Many will probably say that there is no reason for a day like that and that it's unfair to the rest of the population to cater to the minority of the population, if even for a day. But there is some precident for events of this type. For example, since 1991, Walt Disney World has been hosting (unofficially) Gay Day, an event which attracts 100,000+ GLBT individuals yearly. I honestly think days like this help increase awareness of groups. While I'm not attempting to say that events such as Gay Day has been the main event sparking the increased acceptance of the GLBT community in society, I will posit that possibility that group-themed public events do give people outside of that group the opportunity to see a group of people they may not understand in a situation that is similar to their own (whether that be riding the Dumbo ride at Disney, or eating shawarma at Alton Towers). It is disappointing that National Muslim Fun Day was cancelled due to lack of interest. It's interesting to note that while Islamic Leisure has stated that it will refund the tickets they did sell, they also have not been answering their phones today.
I really think this was an awesome idea. According to the article, England is home to 1.7 Muslims (3.4% of the population). This is an amazing gesture that other countries I believe would do well to consider. I found some varied responses to the event from the Muslim community:
http://www.islamicaweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52155
http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/2068
http://maniacmuslim.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8342
oh and this one rather pissed me off: http://islamophobic.blogspot.com/2006/07/muslim-only-day-at-uk-theme-park.html
The event was cancelled, however. Islamic Leisure, the organization planning the event, was unable to sell the idea and Muslim Fun Day was cancelled due to lack of interest. I am highly disappointed by this. But, nonetheless, it was a great idea. Many will probably say that there is no reason for a day like that and that it's unfair to the rest of the population to cater to the minority of the population, if even for a day. But there is some precident for events of this type. For example, since 1991, Walt Disney World has been hosting (unofficially) Gay Day, an event which attracts 100,000+ GLBT individuals yearly. I honestly think days like this help increase awareness of groups. While I'm not attempting to say that events such as Gay Day has been the main event sparking the increased acceptance of the GLBT community in society, I will posit that possibility that group-themed public events do give people outside of that group the opportunity to see a group of people they may not understand in a situation that is similar to their own (whether that be riding the Dumbo ride at Disney, or eating shawarma at Alton Towers). It is disappointing that National Muslim Fun Day was cancelled due to lack of interest. It's interesting to note that while Islamic Leisure has stated that it will refund the tickets they did sell, they also have not been answering their phones today.
Labels: Alton Towers, England, Gay Day, National Muslim Fun Day
posted by Holly at 7:02 PM
1 Comments:
That is a good idea, too bad it's not going to happen. I've actually been to Alton Towers when I lived in England.
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