R-E-S-P-E-C-T
This is one of those subjects that is a virtual minefield. However I'm going there anyway!
There is a news story out of New York, where a Muslim counter-terrorist cop is suing the city for harassment. Given what the cop went through, yes it was workplace harassment and it should be addressed.
Now come the mines....the cop talks about anit-Muslim statements like that the Koran is "hate-filled"....Well Christians get the same thing sir. In Canada, the Bible is considered to be "hate speech". The cop talks about his religion being "ridiculed". As a Christian all I can say is welcome to the club! From "The Book of Daniel" to "Studio 60" (a show that I love, but they are a little rough in their treatment of Christians) to "The Last Temptation of Christ" to the "Pi$$ Christ" to the removal of Christ from Christmas, Christians have their religion ridiculed and put down at every turn. However, when our God is mocked, we don't riot, burn buildings or threaten to behead people. We have been known to launch boycotts and write letters. Some even get so bold as to picket the offending institution. The last resort is legal.
Now before all of you liberals out there get your dander up, let me re-iterate...the cop has more than enough legal standing for his lawsuit. What I am saying here is that there is a certain amount of thick skin that a religious person has to develop in life. One thing this cop deals with day in a day out is the absolute WORST of the believers of his religion. People who do not share his beliefs are going to be jaded against it. Heaven knows that if I worked in an environment where I were working with people who didn't share my faith and we were tracking the badest of the bad in my religion, I would understand why they are jaded and try to show them why these people do not represent the majority of my faith. I have to wonder if this cop tried to do that. It would be nice if any Muslim would speak out thusly. Sadly, I have not heard many Muslims that do decry what the terrorists are doing - which is why a lot of people react the way they do to Muslims.
Look I do work with people of different religions (from my own), even those who have no religious beliefs. We treat each other with a certain amount of respect that is right and proper. It is that respect that this cop deserves...that EVERY person of faith deserves. It would be nice if we could ALL be so bold as to show that to one another.
There is a news story out of New York, where a Muslim counter-terrorist cop is suing the city for harassment. Given what the cop went through, yes it was workplace harassment and it should be addressed.
Now come the mines....the cop talks about anit-Muslim statements like that the Koran is "hate-filled"....Well Christians get the same thing sir. In Canada, the Bible is considered to be "hate speech". The cop talks about his religion being "ridiculed". As a Christian all I can say is welcome to the club! From "The Book of Daniel" to "Studio 60" (a show that I love, but they are a little rough in their treatment of Christians) to "The Last Temptation of Christ" to the "Pi$$ Christ" to the removal of Christ from Christmas, Christians have their religion ridiculed and put down at every turn. However, when our God is mocked, we don't riot, burn buildings or threaten to behead people. We have been known to launch boycotts and write letters. Some even get so bold as to picket the offending institution. The last resort is legal.
Now before all of you liberals out there get your dander up, let me re-iterate...the cop has more than enough legal standing for his lawsuit. What I am saying here is that there is a certain amount of thick skin that a religious person has to develop in life. One thing this cop deals with day in a day out is the absolute WORST of the believers of his religion. People who do not share his beliefs are going to be jaded against it. Heaven knows that if I worked in an environment where I were working with people who didn't share my faith and we were tracking the badest of the bad in my religion, I would understand why they are jaded and try to show them why these people do not represent the majority of my faith. I have to wonder if this cop tried to do that. It would be nice if any Muslim would speak out thusly. Sadly, I have not heard many Muslims that do decry what the terrorists are doing - which is why a lot of people react the way they do to Muslims.
Look I do work with people of different religions (from my own), even those who have no religious beliefs. We treat each other with a certain amount of respect that is right and proper. It is that respect that this cop deserves...that EVERY person of faith deserves. It would be nice if we could ALL be so bold as to show that to one another.
posted by The Lady Logician at
2:59 PM
2 Comments:
You're talking apples and oranges here. The law forbids employers from subjecting employees to harassment on the basis of their religion. The officer is making a claim under that law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
However, if someone said the same things to the officer outside the employment context, it would be boorish and obnoxious but not legal. People have a constitutional right to say things or create works of art that are offensive to members of particular members. And members of those religions have a constitutional right to say what they think of the offensive expression. Certainly I agree that respect should be shown to religions, though.
By
Anonymous, at 2:45 PM
The thing is skipper, there are things that slide between the work environment and the outside world at will. People talk around the water cooler all the time. However, you are correct - those applications are apples and oranges.
Here is an apples to apples. A company I worked for brought in a woman (as my supervisor) whose lifestyle choices were at odds with mine. She made many open statements about her lifestyle and it's conflict with my lifestyle that made me unconfortable, to say the least. I spent a lot of time contemplating whether to do anything about the situation or not. In the end, I chose to take the "high road" and not do anything.
Now what I experienced was not on the level of what this cop experienced - I will readily admit that. However, I could have had grounds for a complaint, but I chose not to do anything because I was more concerned about office harmony. I had to work closely with this woman on a daily basis. Once she saw that her comments were met with no reaction, things settled into a rather healthy work situation - that is until corporate closed our office...which is a whole 'nother story entirely.
By
The Lady Logician, at 10:59 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home