Nice day for a race(ist)?

Over recent weeks there have been many voices speaking out against the open display of religious affiliation in the workplace here in the UK, much of which has actually (and quite surprisingly!) been supported by people in government. In a move mirroring actions taken in France some years ago employers are now taking a stand against women insisting on wearing veils at work, the case which got so much publicity involved a teachers assistant who, it is claimed, that children had difficulty understanding. I can quite understand this and in a society where it is legally required that we cater for the disabled then I don't suppose it's unreasonable that somebody who may rely on lip-reading should have the benefit of being able to see the speakers lips! Ok, so this was only a school, but should this matter?

The wearing of certain religious garb has been protected by law in the UK for a while now and in the past it was certainly usual to see turban-clad motorcyclists without the required crash helmet but I can't say I've seen this spectacle for many years now! Things have, however, gone in the other direction. Customers at petrol stations will have no doubt seen the signs asking motorcyclists to remove their helmets and if you entered a bank wearing one you would no doubt be treated with a great deal of disrespect. This restriction has in the last few years been applied to people wearing "hoodies" too... a certain Essex shopping precinct completely banned the wearing of this particular item of clothing because they believed that the sort of people who wear them are likely to cause trouble, but didn't we get a similar impression over the last 30-40 years over people who wear denim and leather and both of these are now generally acceptable!

We as a nation seem to love pidgeon-holing people into specific categories... wether it be the Mods and Rockers of years past or perhaps Bikers and Hoodies. And now the veil joins the growing list of anti-social clothing... but thankfully wearing a visible crucifix at work has also been added to the list, which in what is often stated as a Christian country is quite refreshing. Perhaps people are finally realising that religious fundimentalism - and not just of the Muslim persuasion - is the real problem that we're currently facing.

Christian fundimentalism isn't a myth... it's real and has been for about 1800 years. Ever since a certain Roman emperour decided it woule be a good idea to use religion as a method of picking up his flagging popularity, this particular belief system (which had previously been little more than a Jewish cult) has probably been responsible for much more death and suffering than any middle-eastern madman could possibly imagine. The crusades and the inquisition (not just the Spanish one!) caused death and suffering on a massive scale. Witch hunts on both sides of the Atlantic were all spawned by the same fundamentalist beliefs and the rise of protestantism across Europe also caused much suffering as people who still wanted to be Christian but didn't think that the Roman ideal was right were forced from their homes and countries and in many cases put to death.

The 20th century was no different. In the first half of the century the Jews suffered at the hands of the Christian Germans, in the latter half we saw ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and the problems in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile the major Christian powers continued to support the Jewish state of Israel in it's continuing "war" against anything non-Jewish on it's own doorstep.

I think that many of the world's current problems are happening because of Christian fundementalism and the pidgeon-holing of cultures:

• The problems in Israel seem to stem from the creation of the Jewish faith and allowing this new country to displace people who have lived on that land for many years - those who were displaced are clearly going to want to air their greviances!
• Splitting Persia into Iran and Iraq along religious lines and then installing "Western-Friendly" leaders was going to lead to strongly supported religious uprisings and dictatorships.
• The same mistake was made with India - most of which actually did quite well but why on earth did we not make a decision on Cashmere, promise to come back and fix it later and then step back and do nothing? Of course both India and Pakistan are going to claim it as their own!
• Ireland has a lot of history but the problems in Northern Ireland are clearly split down religious lines and splitting the country in two based on where there are more protestants and catholics was never going to be a good idea. It seems clear from the events of the last 80 years that the Irish Republic was in itself a good thing for the Irish... but perhaps the whole island should have been given independance!

Sucessive British governments have made the mistake of using religion as a reason to split people up and this has proven time and again to be a very bad move. Unfortunatly there have been examples recently that show where attempts at creating a secular state aren't always easy (recent events in France speak volumes!) but I do believe strongly that while we need a society where religious belief (and lack of it!) should be a legal right. That right should however never extend to imposing your beliefs on others and that should mean that while overt displays of religious belief such as the wearing of certain clothing or jewlery should not be a problem, a line should be drawn in the sand where it comes to interacting with others... particulary in public office.

In the same way as I, a white English male, should not feel uncomfortable or have any issues being addressed by teachers, lawyers, air-crew, bank tellers and shop assistants, nor should anybody else of any religion. I should not have to think twice about how to address somebody because I see a veil, a crucifix or a star of David. I make no apologies for saying that it should be unacceptable for people who deal with others for a living to wear something which might offend, confuse or in anyway state a particular belief.

I am an Athiest and a Republican (in the anti-Monarchy sense) but I would not feel it right to advertise those beliefs to my customers... nor would I expect to have it done to me!