While the British prison system is obsessing over the wearing
of "St. George" tie pins, and with suggestions that Britain
find a new flag & a "patron saint" without connotations of a
bloody past, perhaps they could consider banning other "culturally
insensitive" reminders of the bloody present, such as hijabs. :)

Perhaps muslims might just learn to be a bit more tolerant?

                            -==-

Race fears spark St. George ban

Tuesday, October 4, 2005 Posted: 1249 GMT (2049 HKT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British prison officers who wore a St.
George's Cross tie-pin have been ticked off by the jails watchdog 
over concerns about the symbol's racist connotations.

The pins showing the English flag -- which has often raised hackles
due to its connection with the Crusades of the 11th, 12th and 13th
centuries -- could be "misconstrued," Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne
Owers said in a section on race in a report on a jail in the northern
English city of Wakefield.

The banner of St. George, the red cross of a martyr on a white
background, was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers during 
the military expeditions by European powers to recapture the Holy 
Land from Muslims, and later became the national flag of England.

A section on race relations in Owers' report said: "We were concerned
to see a number of staff wearing a flag of St. George tie-pin.

"While we were told that these had been bought in support of a cancer
charity there was clear scope for misinterpretation, and Prison
Service Orders made clear that unauthorized badges and pins should 
not be worn."

As one of her formal recommendations Owers said: "Staff should not
wear unauthorized badges or pins."

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-
British Understanding, said Tuesday the red cross was an insensitive
reminder of the Crusades.

"A lot of Muslims and Arabs view the Crusades as a bloody episode in
our history," he told CNN. "They see those campaigns as Christendom
launching a brutal holy war against Islam.

"Muslim or Arab prisoners could take umbrage if staff wore a red cross
badge. It's also got associations with the far-right. Prison officers
should be seen to be neutral."

Doyle added that it was now time for England to find a new flag and a
patron saint who is "not associated with our bloody past and one we
can all identify with."

                                  -==-

Source: CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/10/04/britain.redcross/index.html


Cheers, Steve..

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