English Airline Bans Bible on Saudi Arabia Flight
Following the decision of an English airline to forbid one of its flight attendants from carrying her personal Bible to Saudi Arabia, the British Foreign Office has backed the decision.
by Gretta Curtis
Posted: Monday, January 1, 2007, 14:13 (GMT)
Following the decision of an English airline to forbid one of its flight attendants from carrying her personal Bible to Saudi Arabia, the British Foreign Office has backed the decision.
British Midland Airways (BMA) banned a "committed Christian" stewardess from having her Bible with her when she flew into the oil-rich Sunni Muslim state, according to a report in The London Telegraph.
A BMA official was quoted as excusing the company's infringement of the flight attendant's religious freedom by saying "we cannot start designing rules around individuals [or take their] personal preferences into account."
The Saudi regime is notorious for bragging about having "an open mind" and saying it "accepts Christianity and Judaism." However, not a single church exists in the desert country; foreign diplomats may not even hold Bible studies in their homes and Bibles discovered on tourists have been confiscated, with some allegedly even shredded.
Instead of taking the opportunity to expose the Saudi's hypocrisy, the Foreign Office concurred. "The importation [to Saudi Arabia] and use of narcotics, alcohol, pork products and religious books, apart from the Koran, and artifacts are forbidden," it declared.
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Added: Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 1:58 (BST)
That's pretty extreme. They are already curtailing a person's personal choice of belief.
In my opinion, as long as they're not promoting Christianity, or any religion that clashes against theirs, there's nothing wrong in bringing their religious accessories.
jerusalemexporthouse, makati, philippines
Added: Saturday, August 4, 2007, 10:18 (BST)
Nothing suprizing for a country that has a prince who desires to be the "Defender of the faiths". Great Britian affords every Muslim FULL religious rights when they enter their country, even when they plan evil in the land. How dare the Foreign Ministry not insist on the simple rights to be affored to this flight attendant. What a disgusting SHAME! One more time British government reps pander to the Saudis.
Brian Collins, Bahrain
Added: Saturday, February 3, 2007, 10:48 (GMT)
Being a Muslim I see no point of disrespecting Chritianity. According to Holy Quran A muslim can not turn out to be a true Muslim If he or she doesn't believe in Injeel Sharif that refers to the gospel of Jesus and Taorat or Torah of Moses.Saudi Arabia may be the birth place of Islam but they do not believe in the true essence of Islam and that is universal Brotherhood and seculerism.Being a Muslim I vehemently oppose the Saudi Governments views on other religion.If all the Muslims can believe and respect Jesus as their mightiest prophet then they should also respect the Christianity and admit that Islam is derived from Christianity and Islam is not the religion meant for
war monger Islamic radicals, Osama Bin Laden and Wahabi Saudi Arabians(Who represents only 20% of the world Muslim community).
Shabbir Ahmed, Bangladesh
Added: Wednesday, January 3, 2007, 14:53 (GMT)
It just stinks!
i won't be flying with ba or bma!
Steve, London
Added: Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 10:29 (GMT)
How did the Airline know that this stewardess had a Bible with her? I never cease to be amazed and infuriated by this sort of interference with personal liberties.
Alan J Williams, Hull, Great Britain
Added: Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 7:08 (GMT)
Islam the peaceful religion, Islam the all imbracing religion, the Saudi's friends of the free world, Allah the Benevolent, but the story reports typical islamic hypocrisy; a religion that preaches tolerance, but pratices segregation. But we cannot be too quick to criticize our Islamic brothers because here in America religious hypocrisy abounds. Richard Allen was physically removed from a C.M.E. church forcing him to form the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Saudi's know this fact. They also know that there are so-called Christian churches who reject any race other than their own for worship, benevolence, and social functions.
The Saudi's know that the Christian church is splintered with no concrete spokesman; the Catholics have the Pope, G.E. Patterson represents the the Church of God in Christ, the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches are spilt over homosexuality, and the remaining believers follow whomever.
But what is the real reason the western world bows down to the will of the Saudi's; $ 2.50 a gallon for regular unleaded, $ 42. 50 to fill up or more. They have the power to wreck our economy therefore, if they declare no Bibles, whiskey, Blacks, Whites, Checkered people or Christian trinkets to be imported by infidels or else, the spigot goes dry. A- Sallam Alakim
Karl, Pittsburgh
Added: Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 0:03 (GMT)
This is totally unacceptable. I don't know who's more to blame here. The airline or a fanatic Muslim country failing to understand that by accepting a Christian in its communities it is the same as opening the door to Christ Himself. Our faith is not merely in the books we carry or on the cross neckless we bear, but rather into our hearts. If all those products were forbidden from entering into the country they might as well have kept a tight rein on the Christian faith itself by not allowing Christians into their country. Hypocrisy, well said. Let us pray for them all; both for the airline officials who disregard the Truth and Love for simple gain and the Saudis for their hard-heartenedness.
Chris ispir, Bucharest, Romania
Added: Monday, January 1, 2007, 21:25 (GMT)
It comes as no surprise that our spineless government bodies have once again cowtowed to hypocritical morons. Perhaps we should start forbidding any muslims from entering our country if they are carrying a Koran etc. I bet we would see a lot of nashing of teeth and now familiar outrage. They deny others their human rights while going off on a rant and whingeing about how hard done by they are. Why are there none of these human rights lawyers taking up this one sided and biased anti Christian case? Sorry, I forgot, if you are English and Christian or just plain Christian then you have no rights in England or any other western country for that matter.....our "leaders" have all succumbed to Islamic intimidation.
Alan, London England
Added: Monday, January 1, 2007, 20:21 (GMT)
Saudi Arabia is to Islam, what Vatican is to Christiniaty. It is a birthplace of Islam. There is no Mosque in Vatican. So it's not surprising that there is no Church in Saudia. Saudi Arabia is not a secular country, its rule of law is based on Islam. So one has to respect its rules and regulation. Even the muslims living in Christian countries (like France, UK,etc) respect the laws there. For example, France banned hijab in universities/schools there, Muslim ladies respected the law. And I think if one can't respect the laws of a country, they don't have any right of living there. As a muslim,living in UK, I always respect the laws and regulations of this country eventhough many laws here are against my religion. So if someone living in Saudi Arabia, they choose to live there, no one is being forced. If they dont agree with the laws there, they can leave the country.
Rizwan, UK
